My Dark Side, No, My Green Side

by Annagosteelers

Bruce Banner stays at Avengers Tower with the rest of the team, but he can only keep secrets from them for so long.He learns the Avengers are more than his team, but are his dysfunctional family. No one should have to endure their dark side on their own. Based off of the Dark Side song by Kelly Clarkson.

36. Even With My Dark Side IV

I am SO sorry. The surgery went well. They had to do a bit more than they thought- 13 vertebrae. I now have 2 titanium rods and 26 screws embedded into my spine, so I feel very much like Wolverine(I have a sick scar going from my neck to my butt.) Recovery is...tedious, painful, but definitely making progress. The doctor did an excellent job, and I have the best friends in the world who would visit or FaceTime me. If you have any questions about any of it, feel free to PM me.

School has been tough, taking every advanced class I can. So now y'all know why I haven't updated in ages, and I SOOO SORRY, from the depths of my fangirl- ridden heart. But I'm sure you guys understand...maybe? Plus, I didn't even want to attempt to write a chapter until I was pretty much off pain meds, or else there might not have been as much angst as I like. XD BUT I AM BACK WITH AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER. Also, please watch Agents of Shield. It started back and broke my heart in the most fantastic way.

Warnings/Disclaimer- I do not own this fantastic team of heroes. All rights belong to Marvel. Sorry if the scientific explanations later on are both a bit confusing and inaccurate and really make no sense. Takin' some artistic license here.

Chapter 36- Even With My Dark Side IV

"Now, before you two start rambling on, remember that I am not a scientist. Please make an effort to make this whole explanation understandable," Fury said, crossing his arms.

"Aye aye Cap'n," Tony responded with a cheeky tone. "You wanna start Bruce?"

"Alright. So I guess the first thing we want to establish is the Chitauri were much stronger than we had previously thought. In fact, when they came to Earth, the atmosphere actually weakened them. They weren't fighting to their full potential, and thank goodness for that. Their bodies were actually decomposing within minutes of entering our atmosphere. Similar to every other organism, the Chitauri have a fight-or-flight response. As soon as their bodies started decomposing, adrenaline started racing throughout the body. This is where it gets tricky- the Chitauri, based on the information we have based on their biology, sent hormones to each other, almost the way ants do. The thing is, these hormones were kept in check with the high radiation space offered, making it easier to control these sent 'messages.' When the Chitauri came to Earth, the lack of radiation not only weakened their bodies, but the adrenaline forced their hormones out of check."

"When the Chitauri amour was left behind it was covered in these hormones. The chemicals lasted much longer than the bodies. You mentioned people acting strange and then dying after contact with the material. Well, the hormones attached to the nearest living thing- these victims."

Tony continued, his tone slightly less scientific. "Obviously we can't handle that sick alien physiology, and they died. But after looking at these beauties, they're still covered in the stuff. The radiation suits didn't protect us from radiation; they protected our nervous systems from being fried by alien hormones."

Fury was silent for a moment. "What do we do? How do we get rid of these hormones?"

The two scientists looked at eachother. "There is nothing we can do," Tony muttered. "I doubt that cleaning then armor would do anything; the hormones are practically plastered on."

"And our radiation isn't nearly strong enough to control it either," Bruce added.

Silence ensued for a moment before Tony's eyes lit up. "We could send it to space."

Bruce contemplated the idea for a moment. "It would eliminate the hormones."

"The government won't fund that," Fury said. "After the Manhattan incident, the government is looking for any excuse they can to shut us down. If we send it into space, it'll have to be with our own resources."

"Can't Thor take it up that rainbow bridge with him?" Tony asked. "I doubt that it would have an effect on him, him being a god and all."

"I don't see why not," Fury said. "You two can do that on your own time, I pay you for a reason."

"You don't pay us!" Tony scoffed. "And if you do, it's so little I obviously didn't notice."

"Doesn't shock me," Fury muttered. "When we touch down to drop you off, Thor can come pick it up. What did you find out about the bullet Romanoff and Barton found?"

"Nothing to worry about Patchy," Tony said. "It had been an older model I had sold to the Italian government when Stark Industries was a big deal. Italy clearly hasn't needed to use them, so the terrorist group must have just taken them from the government. Pretty pitiful terrorists if they're using these weapons. They're ancient, and there's definitely better on the black market."

"Good to hear," Fury said. "Regardless, I need a hard copy of the shipment order to Italy for the mission report. Other than that, you two are free to go. I'd prefer you wait for Barton and Romanoff to return before departing- then we only have to make one touchdown."

"When are they expected to be back?" Bruce asked.

"Hopefully within two days," Fury said, "Knowing those two, I would say sooner, but Barton's injury is likely to slow them down a bit. Until then, you two are welcome to labs. Try not to blow up anything." He nodded at both men before leaving with a menacing swish of his leather jacket.

"What now?" Bruce asked curiously. They had been brought for one purpose, and they have achieved just that.

Tony scratched his beard, frowning slightly. "For once I'm not really sure. As boring as it sounds, I would like to take an hour to clean out these files. If an incident ever pops up again, I'd like to be able to find the exact file without sifting through all this old junk."

Bruce snorted, readjusting his glasses. "You, clean your own mess? Is this some ploy to get yourself on Pepper's good side?"

"Brucey, how could you suspect that?! I would never do such a thing. Besides, I'm already on her good side," Tony said, winking.

"So what are we doing?" Bruce asked. "Just sorting them into files?"

"Precisely. One for shipment orders, another for old projects, etcetera," Tony said. He raised an eyebrow. "You should consider yourself lucky; you're the only one who has access to these files. I hope you aren't secretly plotting to make Big Guy a suit."

Bruce chuckled. "Definitely not."

He started swiping the holographic files into categories, amazed at all Tony had accomplished. The man was definitely smarter than the public would believe. Although Tony had not been proud of it, his weapon designs were both well made and extremely cost effective. Usually mass production caused a decrease in quality, but all of Tony's products were near perfect. And this didn't even include the suits and arc reactor. Obviously the first prototype wasn't recorded considering it was made in a cave, but the following additions were genius. Bruce couldn't help but briefly scan through each file.

Bruce's breath stuttered at the next file, his mind going blank. Project Hulkbuster.

He tapped on the file, numerous projects pooling out. The first one Bruce saw he didn't recognize. It looked like the Iron Man suit, but on steroids. It was large, almost the size of the Other Guy himself. The suit was heavily armored with missiles stored in the shoulders and arms. Due to the large size Bruce wondered if Tony would even be able to move in the suit, let alone control it accurately. Bruce's eyes moved to the next project within the file, recognizing it instantly, but only within snippets.

Betty.

Ross. Hulk no like Ross. Hulk SMASH Ross!

Sound. Loud sound. No good. Hurt Hulk head.

HULK SMASH LOUD SOUND THING!

"Bruce, you still with me?" Tony's voice cut through the memory, bringing Bruce back from the smell of smoke and tanks and Ross...

"Course," Bruce said, pushing his glasses back onto his nose, ignoring his slightly trembling hands. Tony's attention flicked to the screen, frowning. Bruce was the first to speak.

"It was a good design- the sound cannons. They actually worked for a bit, but nothing really lasts long with the Other Guy, or not as long as Ross had hoped. I was still in correspondence with Mr. Blue then." He looked at Tony, then back at the screen. "I think you should increase the decibel count, maybe change the range? A further range would ensue that the Other Guy couldn't get close enough to hurt it."

"What are you talking about Bruce?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Making modifications," Bruce said as if it was obvious. "These are really great designs Tony."

Tony blinked. "You can't be serious." He took a deep breath, clearly frustrated. "Bruce, I'm not proud of that work. I was young and stupid and willing to sell my weapons to anyone. I jumped at Ross's offer to work on a military project. I was so excited I forgot that there were actual people being affected. Especially you." Tony looked directly at Bruce. "I know that isn't a real excuse, me being young and stupid, but it's all I have to offer. I never intend on hurting you again."

"You really shouldn't apologize," Bruce said. "Not for trying to protect people. And not for being young and excited about something- we all did that. I want to really look at these designs even more."

"I'm not letting that happen!" Tony said, his voice raising. "J.A.R.V.I.S., delete these files-"

"Wait!" Bruce interrupted, his voice nearly a desperate shout. His eyes were wide, slightly frantic. "Tony, listen. You were a businessman. Look at the pro versus the con. What happens when the Other Guy loses control on a mission? What happens when he goes too far and won't let me back out?"

"We can talk him down," Tony said. "Bruce, you didn't see him in that chamber. He recognized all of us. He had names for us, he knew. I don't think him attacking us will be an issue."

"Don't you even remember a couple of months ago Tony? That mind control guy with his crazy name? He had the Other Guy attack you!"

"We brought Green Bean down though!" Tony argued.

"What happens when it's not the team? What happens when he destroys a city? I understand that you might have felt bad that you hurt m- the Other Guy, but you didn't. How do you think it feels when I wake up and discover I've hurt not one, but dozens?" Bruce replied.

"But it's not you Bruce, you're missing that. It's the Other Guy."

"That's what you're missing," Bruce said exasperatingly. He threw his arms in the air. "You wouldn't be hurting ME. You'd be protecting not only the team, but a city," Bruce's voice lowered. "Please Tony. It doesn't have to anything extensive, just something to knock me out if I- if he loses control."

Tony rubbed his face. He spoke his next words carefully as if treading on eggshells. "I don't like the idea, but I'll go with it, if it's really what you want."

Bruce nodded. "I believe me."

"First, I only want to consider half of these models," Tony, however uncharacteristic of him, hesitated for a moment. "I think you know Ross wanted to do a bit more than just knock you out. We'll just exclude those prototypes that had a different result in mind. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, considering Ross was a military branch, he didn't have an issue with larger weapons. I'd prefer something smaller, portable, that we can bring on missions. I do like the idea of Clint carrying arrows with a sedative in them."

"Me too," Tony replied. "We'd have to experiment with the dosage, but I think it should work."

"We're scientists, experimenting is what we do," Bruce said with a small chuckle.

"Really?" Tony asked with a smirk. "I thought we were just playing around."

"What's this?" Bruce asked, pointing to the large Iron Man suit.

"Hulkbuster*," Tony said. "In case I ever had to actually go into combat with you. Ross shut the idea down, saying that he didn't think that would be necessary. I still kept it, because to be honest, I liked the design. I figured I might need it later on in case we ever faced a larger opponent. Out of all my suit designs, this one is definitely the sturdiest. At least I hope so."

"You hope?" Bruce asked, confused.

"Well, I haven't actually built it yet. Didn't see a need to. Based on the weight though, I'm not sure how fast it would be." Tony sighed. "Obie's design was actually a lot like this one, so I guess you could say I plagiarized a bit," Tony said with a sardonic laugh. "Hopefully mine will me a bit more successful."

"We could definitely work on that," Bruce said. "In the mean time, I'm famished. Want to go find food somewhere?"

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Bruce and Tony worked the next two days on Project Hulkbuster, and on smaller projects Tony had never gotten to. The highlight of their time on the Helicarrier was not working in the lab- it was interacting with the new S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits.

It had been a long day, and Bruce noticed Tony was starting to get a bit cabin crazy.

Tony was spinning in a chair, head towards the ceiling. "When's the scary couple gonna be here?" He sounded much like a petulant child. Bruce wasn't sure how Pepper put up with him sometimes.

"Tomorrow, hopefully."

Tony groaned. He looked at Bruce, eyes wide. "Let's go find Galaga Guy!"

"What?" Bruce asked. "Tony, maybe you should go get some sleep."

"I'm serious," Tony said. "The first time we met, there was a man playing Galaga on the computer. Let's go find him!"

Bruce shrugged. "Not like I could stop you," he muttered.

"Exactly!" Tony said with a smirk. "Come on!"

They left the lab and walked through the seemingly numerous hallways. "So do you remember what he looks like?" Bruce asked.

"Eh, typical young kid- dirty blonde short hair. I'll know him when I see him. And if Fury comes, he run."

"You make this sound like it's a teenage prank," Bruce said.

Tony looked at Bruce with a wicked grin. "Who said it's not?"

Bruce rolled his eyes, following Tony onto the flight deck. Multiple men and women sat at computer on the flight deck, regulating flight schedules and reading through electronic files. Tony strutted down the steps, looking around. He signaled Bruce to follow him as he walked through the numerous rows. Few people paid him attention, focusing on their work. Tony stopped at one of the desks.

"Mr. Galaga, I am pleasured to make your acquaintance," Tony said, placing his hand on the other man's shoulder.

The man turned around, smiling slightly. "Mr. Stark."

Tony waved his hand. "Anyone who plays Galaga during work hours deserves to call me Tony," he looked around for Fury before turning his attention towards the screen. "Pull it up."

"What?"

"Pull up Galaga. If Fury doesn't find out, no harm done. I want a tournament," Tony said simply. "What's your name?"

"Alex," the man replied, exiting out of the boring files and opening the popular game. "You first?"

"It's all yours," Tony said, leaning back in his chair. The two scientists watched as the bright aliens attacked Alex's ship. The young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had nimble fingers, his ship avoiding every alien with a slight touch of the mouse. He fired at the enemy, eliminating them one by one. His score began to grow- from what Bruce could tell, he was going very well. He was at 25,283 before his ship died in an explosion of smoke. It wasn't until Alex had gotten up to let Tony sit that Bruce noticed there was a small crowd of people around the computer, watching.

Tony sat down, cracking his knuckles and stretching. "Ready to be amazed?" he asked smugly, pressing start on the game. Soon the aliens flew around the screen. Tony's face was screwed up in concentration as he swayed side to side in his seat, as if it would help him avoid hits in the game. Tony clicked the mouse repeatedly, inhaling sharply when he had a near miss. His score was increasing rapidly, as was the crowd around them.

"He's gonna beat it," peeped a smaller agent. Tony was just about to break 25,000, the intensity in his eyes increasing. Everyone held their breath; the only sound in the room was the clicking off the mouse and the whirring of Helicarrier engine.

A loud cheer erupted as Tony hit 26,000 as Alex sat back in his chair with a frustrated grunt.

The cheering immediately ceased. Bruce turned around to see what caused such a silence.

He was met with the face of Nick Fury.

Bruce tapped the engineer on the shoulder. "Um…Tony?"

"Not now Bruce, I'm this close to beating my record."

"Tony."

Tony whipped his head backwards, turning back around to face the screen and continue his game. "Hey Patchy. I was just giving a first hand experience on the proper way to shoot aliens out of the sky. I mean, if the aliens attack again, all the newbies need to know what they're doing. I'd say this is a pretty accurate depiction, wouldn't you?"

"Stark, leave my team alone," Fury said, annoyance dripping from his voice.

"I'm just helping you out," Tony said. "Besides, everyone needs a break every once and a while."

"They're lunch break was twenty minutes ago," Fury replied.

Tony shrugged. "Well, this is just as important as training them in hand to hand combat."

"Stark…" Fury growled.

"Alright alright I'm moving," Tony said. His ship was hit by one of the aliens, exploding into a million pixels. "Let's go Bruce. Next time aliens attack let's see if they can handle it without us. Alex might be their only hope."

The two men walked away, Bruce trying to hide his smile. Tony sure was something.

When Natasha and Clint returned, Bruce was more than relieved. As much as he loved the engineer…well, he could be a bit much sometimes.

Natasha looked menacing as ever, if a smudge tired. Clint had a minor limp, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"What, the hawk hurt his little wing?" Tony mocked.

"Hey, it hurt like a bitch Stark," Clint said. "For being an older project, it really packed some punch."

Tony bowed. "My specialty."

Later that night they found the cafeteria within the Helicarrier and had dinner, recalling stories.

"So how'd the terrorist hunt go?" Bruce asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Fine," Natasha said. "They were a pretty small group, easy to take out." She took a sip of her water. "It's too bad, Italy really a beautiful place."

"Better than Budapest," Clint muttered under his breath, leaning back in his chair. "I'm not one for scenery," he said. "But Italy is something else. All the buildings are compact and stacked- perfect for sniping."

"Of course you would like the city," Tony said. "Probably feels like a comfy little bird nest, huh?"

That resulted in a crouton being thrown in Tony's direction. Accurately.

"So what did the science love couple do while we were gone?" Clint asked.

Bruce and Tony looked at each other. They had decided to talk to Clint about the arrows a little later once they were perfected.

"We determined where that bullet came from," Tony said. "And we found a super alien virus hormone that needs to be sent to space for it to die."

Both Natasha a Clint looked up from their food. "Please tell me you two are clean," Natasha said cautiously.

"Of course," Bruce answered. "we've decided to have Thor take the infected armor back to the Bifrost with him."

"Good to hear," Clint said. "Muscle Man needs something to do."

The rest of the meal was in silence, the exhaustion clearly starting to catch up to the two assassins. Bruce basked in the silence; it had been a while since he had been reunited with this old friend.

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When they returned to the Tower, everyone was relieved. Bruce and Tony informed Thor of the situation, and he vowed to "depart to the Helicarrier and fulfill his duty immediately dear friends." Thor, rather than call Fury, decided to use his lightning to fly to the Helicarrier. Besides, no one wanted to spoil the surprise that Fury would have a god upon his ship sooner than he had planned.

Apparently Steve had spent the peace and quiet by catching up on some classic movies that he had never seen. And if Tony acted slightly nicer towards Steve…well, Bruce wouldn't say anything.

* For those non-comic readers, allow me to elaborate a bit. Hulkbusters was started by Tony Stark working with General Ross and Talbot. It was shut down after Banner, through the Hulk, proved he had control. Later Bruce Banner brought it back, before finally S.H.I.E.L.D. took head of the program. The suit I am referring to was Tony's Hulkbuster suit. If you would like an idea of what it looks like, it was shown briefly during the Age of Ultron trailer. Yes, it's the big fat one, and it's awesome. :3 Thanks for reading, and a quick review would REALLY make my week.

Also, I am still on pain meds, so if there are grammatical errors, I am SO SORRY.