A/N: Thanks for Your continued Support!
Warning: Contains descriptions of Torture, Blood, and Abuse.
She traipsed on in that lab at 12 sharp, no surprise to Tony Stark who made certain to be awake no matter what the cost. He'd been through at least 6 bottles of liquor since this morning, and though his kidney's were begging for mercy, he debated taking out another. It kept him awake, probably more so then caffeine Romanoff had brought into the room with her. She placed two mugs on the counter, verifying her intention of watching every file that was now her possession.
Natasha crosses her arms, still in her short classy dress from her evening with Barton. She could've spit when she saw Tony lingering in the lab instead of sitting with Bruce. Before she could open her mouth, it was as if Stark had read her mind;
"Don't say a word, I just came in here. I can assure you the guy is out cold."
She rolls her eyes sarcastically shifting her tongue to the side of her open mouth, "Yeah, okay. Clint just went up there. At least I know he'll be honest with me."
Tony shuts off his model setting up the screen for the inserting of her USB, "How did you manage that?"
Natasha glances outside the lab before closing the door, "Get Clint to watch him? A little bird seed and a $20. Is everyone else asleep?"
Stark shrugged his shoulders, "According to JARVIS. You got that micro-chip?"
She wiggles it within her fingers, always pulling just out of his reach, "Sit down Mr. Stark. Where's Pepper? Is she going to be looking for you?"
"Nope. She knows where I am."
Natasha fiddles with his USB port, "Are you sure? Cause I'll strangle you if someone walks in on us."
"JARVIS is on duty. No worries. Just lower the volume." He parks himself on a stool, swiping his finger on the screen opening the drive.
She breathes heavy covering her mouth as she sits beside him, her green eyes wide nervous over what she's getting into. Tony glances towards her from his peripheral vision as he opens a folder exposing over 36 files. He can tell she's already worried, nervously twirling her fingers over each other, crossing and uncrossing her knees.
Stark waves his forefinger over the selection, "Where should we start? They're not in order."
She sighs, keeping her cool, "From the top I guess."
He taps his forefinger, opening their first file of the night;
With a quick dull glow, it opens exposing a bruised a bloodied Banner, in a cold empty room as he hacks up streams of solid blood. Dried red blobs stuck within his curls and pouring down his body.
Both Natasha and Tony jump in their seats watching a taller man punch his jaw. They lean forward, anxiously waiting for him to transform for pure revenge, he tries, he can't.
A quick cut edits to the next scene, showing him poked and prodded by some deranged individual with absolutely no compassion. His eyes were shut tight, his weak voice screaming from the pain of the unsterile knives piercing into his skin as the blood fell to the ground.
Moments later, the couple sees him tide and gagged, stuck with needles, as his scarlet radioactive blood pours into over hundreds of tubes jabbed ruthlessly into his arms. His muffled screams from the gag, echoing off the walls of the empty room. The men in white lab coats treat him worse then an animal, sticking his body with loaded syringes and tubes.
Barely 5 minutes have passed before Tony swipes his finger across the screen. He's holding his head as he searches for a bottle. Natasha drops her arms, "What are you doing?"
He stutters searching the cabinets, "I'm physically sick right now. I just need some scotch."
She lowers her head, beyond angry, "And how do you think he felt Tony?! You think he was physically sick?!"
Stark shuts his eyes, the image of his friend in that kind of pain just made him want to kill whoever hurt him. He comes walking back, intense hatred written all over his face as he pops the cork of another bottle of liquor. He hovers his finger over the next video, "Ready Nat?"
She clutches her gut, eyes barely open as she nods. She gasps watching him get thrown to the ground by yet another scientist, no doubt trying to work the hulk out of him. Tide to a table with a burning iron pressed up against his body, pouring some gallon of blue liquid down his mouth pried open by a larger man. Watching his body writhe, blood pour from his mouth, hearing him cry out from the pain; Natasha knew her eyes were filling. Her heart physically hurt as she bit ferociously on the inner part of her cheek.
Bruce, her Bruce, the compassionate doctor who would never hurt anyone by choice, tortured and treated like he was nothing more then an object. Watching him get experimented on bothered her the most. Even scientists cleaned their experiments before usage, but not one of his enemy's had a heart to dry his tears, clean his wounds, or numb his body.
Tony held his head, feeling sicker with every image that flashed up on the screen. He could've burst into tears watching him go through that; His arm and rib had been broken, his body opened without any hint of Novocaine; were people really that twisted? As if the physical abuse wasn't bad enough, to listen as these people called him 'worthless', 'stupid', and 'insignificant' made the billionaire want to scream. If Stark could reach in and grab these people by the throat, he would've.
Tony knew the torture Bruce's father put him through as a small child; experimenting on him, abusing him verbally and physically. All Bruce ever knew was pure hell, when all the poor guy ever wanted was some sort of peace and liberation. Even his his sleep Stark heard him whimpering and writhing. No wonder he was so dead set on killing himself. Stark shifts his jaw, eyes lowering in complete disgust for everyone who ever left a scar on his best friend's mind and body. He was ready to run up the stairs and give him all the hugs in the world.
Natasha Romanoff held her breath as her eyes shifted the screen. Her head tilted, noticing a dark haired woman behind the hulk as he was shot with loads of virbranium. She sat up straighter, glancing at Stark as the image changed to that same woman, caught up in yet another battle.
Tony wrinkled his brow, "Whose she? I didn't know Banner had a girl."
She covered her mouth, remaining quiet. -It had to be Betty, Bruce never mentioned anyone else.-
The dark haired woman looked completely terrified, wrapping his limp and 'de-hulked' body into her arms, rubbing her finger over his wrist for a pulse.
It was as if in every other three videos, she was involved. Restrained from the sidelines when she wasn't pushed to the ground or covered by Bruce (or 'Hulk') taking the brunt of everything to keep her safe. It seemed as though everything that was recorded between them involved an attack on their sweetest moments. Even at their small and intimate wedding SHIELD managed to record an attack from an enemy before they could reaffirm their love to one another.
Natasha holds her cheek. Tony glances her way breathing a heavy sigh, pained just as much as she is.
Running as a fugitive? He looked miserable, living alone in utter disgust with himself and his other 'other half'. The General wasted no time finding him in the middle of nowhere, back to the poking and prodding.
Natasha whispers, grinding her teeth, "Who is that Bastard. He's been in every other footage."
Stark opens his mouth in shock and aggravation. He never imagined the General whom he worked with would have this much negative affiliation with Bruce, "Ross."
The couple give a quick glance towards each other, watching their companion catch a falling 'Iron Man' on the streets of New York City. It was a familiar scene, probably the only one they really could smile at.
Emediately after, their thrown back into his horrific life, thrown into a cell under extreme experimentation, his muscles expanding and contracting uncontrollably. Scenes later, that girl is thrown to the pavement, killed by this unknown enemy as the 'hulk' yells out in pure agony and grief. As a human, he cradles her limp body, tears continuously streaming down his face.
Romanoff shifts her gaze to the bottom left of the screen, that particular scene dated exactly 2 months ago. She holds her head, ready to burst into tears.
Stark covers his mouth, debating on finishing the rest of the half emptied bottle -That's Ross's daughter! It's got to be...Good god I'll never so much as poke Banner again!-