Tony woke up with a painful throbbing in his head, the effects of the anesthesia still leaving him in a haze. The sound of ambulance sirens and screams still echoed in his ears as he tried to clear his head. Then there was the feeling of someone holding his hand.
"Bruce?"
"Tony, Tony? Can you hear me?"
Tony opened his eyes with a jolt and tried to sit up, but the dull pain in his side stopped him. Pepper was leaning over the side of his bed with her hand on his, and Happy was sitting in one of the chairs next to her.
Tony had tubes coming out of his veins, and he was hooked up to a heartbeat monitor, but the decor of the room looked more like a prison cell than a hospital. The walls were made of thick cinder blocks, and the doors had multiple giant locks on them.
"Jesus, where are we? And please tell me Hammer's drone isn't still sticking out of me."
Pepper relaxed her face slightly and let go of his hand, but she chose her words carefully when she spoke.
"You're in the hospital, and the doctors say you're going to be fine. But there's… there's something else. Why didn't you tell us you were dying?"
"I thought you said I wasn't?"
"Not from your injury, from the palladium."
Tony jumped and turned to see his assistant walking through the previously bolted shut door. Behind her followed a nondescript man in a suit and tie. He had a pleasant look on his face that Tony felt was not entirely appropriate for the situation at hand.
"Natalie? How the hell do you know about that?"
Tony looked at the man behind her.
"And what are you doing here, Coulson? I don't remember sending out party invitations to my death bed."
Natalie stood at the foot of his bed and pursed her lips.
"Mr. Stark, my name is Natasha Romanoff, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. And you're not dying anymore, at least not for the moment. You're in a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital, and the agency has developed a drug that will temporarily halt the spread of your poisoning."
"Hello, Mr. Stark. I'm glad to see you're feeling better."
Tony tossed his pillow at Coulson's face and threw his head back down on the bed.
"You've been spying on me this whole time?"
Pepper frowned and shook her head.
"Can we get back to the part where you had palladium poisoning and didn't tell anyone?"
"I didn't want you to worry! I'm dealing with it; that's why I made you C.E.O."
Before Pepper could shoot back, Happy got up from his seat and spoke for the first time since Tony had woken up.
"You're just going to give up? I've risked my ass protecting you, and you're going to let a bit of metal take you out? You're Tony Stark."
He crossed his arms like that settled things. Tony opened his mouth to respond but then closed it and looked from Pepper to Happy. For the first time, he was at a loss for words. Coulson managed to take advantage of the momentary silence to cut in with a calm, reassuring tone.
"There'll be time to deal with this later. Right now, we need to talk to Mr. Stark – alone."
Happy uncrossed his arms and took a step towards Coulson.
"Alone? What about? He's already been nearly droned to death, and I'm not about to –"
But Pepper cut him off.
"Happy, let's go."
Happy seemed taken aback by Pepper's willingness to leave Tony, but he allowed her to lead him out of the room. To his dismay, Tony watched as they abandoned him to the whims of the two agents.
Natasha stood behind a doorway of an abandoned house in the outskirts of Kolkata. She was hidden from view but could still see the drapes hanging over the front entrance. The only sound she could hear was the beating of her own heart, which was faster than usual.
Natasha had been through this type of situation many times before, but she was used to being able to out-fight and outwit any adversary she came across. For this mission, however, all the guns in the world wouldn't be able to protect her.
Earlier that day, Coulson had interrupted an interrogation to give her a new assignment: Go to India and bring in Bruce Banner. S.H.I.E.L.D. ostensibly wanted him to help them locate a magical space cube that had been stolen from them, but if that was really the case, wouldn't the world's second most knowledgeable expert in gamma radiation be acceptable? Natasha didn't know who that was, but she assumed they didn't run the risk of turning into a giant green monster and destroying everything within a 10-mile radius.
But despite her reservations, Natasha was in India, waiting for Bruce to fall into the trap she had set for him. She had paid off a local girl to beg him for help and lead him to this house. Natasha had no way of knowing if it had worked, but she wasn't worried. After all, the only other time she had interacted with Bruce was two years earlier when he had helped save someone's life.
Sure enough, the door opened, and the little girl ran through the house and out the window, leaving Bruce standing in the living room. He was less put together than the last time she had seen him. His hair was ruffled, and his clothes were wrinkled like they hadn't been ironed in years.
Natasha stepped out of the shadows and introduced herself.
"Dr. Banner, it's been a while. Natasha Romanoff. I'm here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Bruce signed, and when he responded, Natasha was surprised that he seemed more tired than agitated.
"I think you should reconsider this. There're only so many ways it can end."
"I'm not here to hurt you; I'm actually here for your professional expertise."
Natasha smiled and pulled out her phone, showing Bruce the image on it.
"This is the Tesseract; we need a way to track the gamma radiation it emits. You're the best man for the job."
Bruce had taken out his glasses to look at the picture but scoffed when she finished speaking.
"You'll forgive me if I find it hard to believe that's the only reason Fury sent you."
"I assume you'd prefer to stay here?"
Bruce paused for a moment as he considered his response.
"It's where I can do the least harm, away from people who know about the Other Guy."
"It's also where you can do the least good."
He frowned and glared at her, and for a second, Natasha was worried she had gone too far.
"I'm helping people, more than I was helping when I was being shot at by tanks."
"I know, what I mean is, we need you on this. It could mean saving the world."
He didn't respond to that and instead looked away from her. Natasha hesitated for a moment, then continued.
"Besides, you weren't exactly worried about being around people when you showed up at a conference in London two years ago."
Bruce stared at her, and his eyes widened as he made the connection.
"You were Tony Stark's assistant. That's where I recognize you from."
Natasha nodded, more than a little thankful that he hadn't gotten angry at the mention of his get-away.
"My previous assignment. Makes picking you up seem like a walk in the park. He's being brought in on this, too. Iron Man, Captain America, me, it's serious."
She smiled at that last part and waited while Bruce began to pace around the room. Finally, he stopped and looked Natasha in the eyes.
"I'll go, but only as a scientist."
"Understood."
As Natasha and Bruce stepped out of the house towards the waiting armored S.H.I.E.L.D. van, Natasha felt a queasy feeling in her stomach. She tried not to create a habit of making promises she couldn't keep, but this time it had been necessary.
Bruce and Natasha sat in silence in the back of the van as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent drove them to the airstrip a few miles away, where the quinjet was waiting for them. It was hidden from any wondering villagers with its retro-reflection panels engaged.
Natasha looked over at Bruce, who was staring out the window. He had come quietly, which was as much as she could have hoped for, but she could tell he still wasn't entirely convinced of his decision. Without turning to look at her, Bruce started to speak.
"When I went to London, I knew I wasn't putting anyone in danger; I had control of it. But after everything that happened that night, I realized how bad it could have gone."
Natasha had wanted to know what had happened to him that night. She had been planning to keep an eye on Bruce, but when Tony got hit, all her attention went to contacting Fury and making sure she got Tony to a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital. She didn't even notice Bruce slip out of the hotel that night, and when she went to look for him, he was already gone.
Natasha knew she should chastise Bruce for taking the risk he had, but he was right. He hadn't caused any problems that night, quite the opposite. Even now, he didn't seem like a person who could be set off at any moment.
"I understand."
"How is Tony, by the way?"
Bruce said it casually like he was just trying to get past a lull in the conversation.
"He's still single."
Bruce blushed and started stuttering, and Natasha smiled at his reaction. She supposed she should be trying harder not to anger him, but at this point, she doubted a little teasing would matter.
"That's not, I mean, he got hurt! That's what I meant."
"He's doing fine, as I'm sure you know. It must be hard to miss his T.V. appearances, even down here."
Bruce looked stunned; his mouth was slightly open, but he wasn't saying anything. Natasha suspected that while he had anticipated being confronted by S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually, he hadn't been prepared for this.
"He was pretty upset when I pulled him away from you."
Bruce sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked back out the window.
"He didn't know what I am."
Natasha didn't respond, and neither of them spoke again for the rest of the ride.
15 hours later, the quinjet landed on a large aircraft carrier flying in the air above the Chesapeake Bay. As Bruce got out, he had a sinking feeling in his chest. There would be nowhere for the agents to go if they needed to escape.
A tall man with an eye patch approached them, and Bruce recognized him immediately as Nick Fury. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been one of the groups following him when he was on the run, but he had never interacted with them until now. Fury offered his hand, and Bruce shook it apprehensively.
Then, the director led them towards a man standing near the runway who was wearing an outfit that looked about 70 years out of fashion.
"Agent Romanoff, Dr. Banner, let me introduce you to Captain Rogers. Captain Rogers, this is Agent Romanoff and Dr. Banner."
Bruce was slightly taken aback. Natasha had told him that Steve Rogers would be part of the response team, but it was still a bit shocking to be standing in front of Captain America.
"Ma'am, Doctor."
Steve nodded at them, and Bruce shook his hand.
"Uh, nice to meet you."
They climbed down to the lower decks of the helicarrier, and Natasha sped up to talk to Fury, leaving Bruce to walk with Steve. Bruce had been trying to replicate the super-soldier serum Dr. Erskine had used on Steve when the accident happened, so it was a bit awe-inspiring to see the man it had worked out for. But Bruce also couldn't help but wonder how different things would have been if he had ended up like Steve. He also wondered how much Fury had told the Captain about the rest of his team.
There was so much he wanted to ask Steve, but Bruce guessed that he wouldn't be in the mood for an interrogation.
"It must have been difficult for you, getting used to being here."
Steve smiled pleasantly, and if he knew about the Other Guy, he didn't show it.
"It's had its ups and downs. When Director Fury came to brief me, I wasn't sure how useful I would be, up against aliens and all this. I just hope I'm the right guy for the job."
Bruce smiled back.
"I'm sure you'll be as helpful as any of the rest of us."
"I heard they're also bringing in Tony Stark, so it must be a big deal."
Bruce thought he heard a note of derision in Steve's voice, but maybe he had just imagined it.
After Fury and Natasha showed Bruce to his lab, he put his things down and got to work. If Captain America had just gotten out of the ice a couple of months ago and was willing to follow S.H.I.E.L.D. into battle, Bruce could at least do his part.
A few hours later, Fury opened the door to the lab.
"Dr. Banner, they're back. We're meeting on the bridge."
As Bruce walked down the corridor, he could hear Tony's voice coming from the bridge, and his heart skipped a beat. It had been a long time since he'd seen Tony.
"You must be carrying some kind of electromagnets, right? It would be impossible for it to come back to you without something exerting a force on it."
A huge, muscular man with long blond hair was tossing a hammer into the air and laughing.
"Mjolnir has no need for any of your Midgardian gadgets!"
Steve and Natasha were also in the room, and as Bruce and Fury walked in, they all turned to look at them. Tony smiled at Bruce and grabbed his hand.
"Bruce! How have you been?"
Bruce smiled back. No one was ever as excited to see him as Tony always seemed to be.
Steve looked at them with his confusion showing on his face.
"You two know each other?"
Tony nodded vigorously.
"Last time we met up, Bruce saved my life, remember that?"
He looked back at Bruce, and Bruce tried not to blush. It was a bit of an overstatement. He had only stopped Tony from bleeding out until the paramedics arrived.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Tony. I'm glad you're doing well."
"Oh, I am, especially now."
Looking behind Tony, Bruce could see that Fury was getting tired of this conversation.
"Enough chit chat; the only thing we need to focus on is getting the Tesseract back. Stark, I want you to help Dr. Banner locate it. In the meantime, Thor and Agent Romanoff will work on getting more information out of Loki."
Tony turned to Bruce and grinned.
"Lead the way, Doctor."
Using the energy from Loki's scepter, Bruce and Tony created a model that tracked the gamma radiation admitting from the Tesseract. Now they just had to wait. Tony was sitting cross-legged on a lab table eating dried blueberries he had gotten out of a vending machine.
"So, how long have you been the Hulk?"
Bruce ran his fingers through his hair. He supposed he should be surprised it had taken this long for Tony to bring up the Other Guy.
"Uh, it's been about four years now."
"Then you were the Hulk when we saw each other in London? Why didn't you tell me?"
This was not the type of question Bruce had been expecting.
"Erm, it's not exactly the kind of thing you bring up in casual conversation."
Tony tossed another blueberry into his mouth and shifted around on the table so he was facing Bruce.
"Is that why you left? I was wondering because when I woke up in the hospital, I thought you'd be there. I didn't even get to thank you for saving my life."
"I didn't, I mean, I didn't do much, I just stopped Hammer from letting you bleed out, and there were a bunch of other doctors there that could have helped you. And I shouldn't have gone anyway. It was too much of a risk, being here is too much of a risk, but Fury –"
Tony put down the blueberries and got off the table.
"Stop it, Bruce. You did save me, and now you're going to help save the world. I know I'm smart, but gamma radiation isn't my specialty. We need you."
Bruce looked down at the floor.
"I don't think that's why I'm here."
Tony shrugged and began walking around the room.
"Whatever reason you're here for, I'm glad you are. You should come back to my tower when this is all over; I'll show you all my toys."
Bruce stared at Tony for a moment. He wanted to show him his tech? Bruce wanted so much to say yes.
"Thanks, but, uh, I, I shouldn't stick around here."
Tony frowned; this was obviously not the response he had been expecting.
"Why not? I promise a stress-free environment, no tension, no surprises."
And then, Bruce felt a sharp point and an electric shock in his side.
"Ow!"
Tony laughed.
"See! You've got it completely under control."
Bruce grabbed his side and laughed too, but mostly out of astonishment that Tony would do that.
"Well, that didn't make me angry, but it did hurt."
"Did it? I didn't mean to hurt you."
Tony smiled and put his hand on Bruce's side, rubbing the spot where he had poked him. Bruce froze, and he could feel his cheeks start to turn red.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?"
Bruce jumped and shoved Tony's hand away as Steve came barging in. He must have seen them through the glass windows. Tony raised his arms and grinned at Steve.
"Woah, relax, Abominable Snowman."
Steve crossed his arms and did not smile.
"You think it's funny to put everyone's lives at risk, Stark?"
Bruce stepped out from behind the lab table and stood between Steve and Tony.
"It's fine, he was just… I'm fine, see?"
Bruce gestured to his still human form, but Steve shoved his finger in Tony's face.
"You should spend less time messing around and more time working."
"I am working; we've finished the model. What exactly are you doing, besides going around sticking your nose into other people's business?"
Steve clenched his fist, and for a second, Bruce was afraid he was going to hit Tony.
"You think so highly of yourself, don't you? Well, I'll tell you something, I knew your father, and you're not even half the man he was!"
The room went silent. Bruce raised his eyebrows, and Tony glared at Steve for a second before walking out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Bruce called after him, but he was already gone. Steve looked shocked and stuttered for a moment.
"I, I didn't mean to anger him. I just…"
Bruce sighed, and he went back to the lab table before responding.
"Tony and his dad didn't get along well. It was very public. But when he died, Tony was just a kid.
Steve rubbed his hand over his face and leaned against the lab table, looking genuinely upset.
"God, I'm sorry, it's just that it's been hard adjusting, and when he brought up that I don't have anything to do…And he shouldn't have poked you with that thing."
"I know you didn't mean to, but give him a chance. He's really not so bad once you get to know him."
"Okay, okay, I will."
Steve left, and Bruce was alone in the lab again.
When Tony came back into the room half an hour later, he looked tired, and his face was slightly red.
"Tony, are you okay?"
"Yep."
Tony paused, but instead of elaborating, he laughed humorlessly.
"My dad always said I wasn't half the man Steve Rogers was. I guess the feeling is mutual."
Bruce turned and looked Tony in the eyes.
"Your dad sounds like an asshole."
"He wasn't wrong, though."
"Yes, he was. You're Tony Stark. You're Iron Man! And you're a good person. Just because your dad and Steve couldn't see it doesn't mean it's not true."
Tony looked over at Bruce, but before either of them could say any more, an electronic voice came from the computer.
"Mr. Stark, sorry to interrupt, but the S.H.I.E.L.D. files have been decrypted."
Tony dashed over to the computer.
"What was that?"
"Jarvis, my A.I. He hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files while we were on the bridge. I may have agreed to help Fury, but I'm not going to let him play his little games with me."
Before Bruce could get a good look at the screen, Fury barged in.
"Excuse me, why did I just get an alert that half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files have been stolen?"
Tony turned the monitor around for Fury to see.
"I've got a better question: Why is S.H.I.E.L.D. using the Tesseract to make weapons?"
At that moment, Steve also stepped into the room.
"What's going on?"
"What's going on is S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't planning to use the Tesseract energy to power electric cars."
Steve narrowed his eyes.
"Hydra made their weapons using energy from the Tesseract."
Fury rolled his eyes and made a "calm down" motion with his hands.
"We're not Hydra, and this isn't any of your concern. You all need to get back to the task at hand."
Fury turned to leave, but then Natasha entered the room, with Thor following close behind. Bruce sighed; he hated crowds.
"Director Fury, Loki is planning to unleash the Hulk."
Bruce had already been nearing the end of his patience with S.H.I.E.L.D., but this was getting ridiculous.
"Tell me, how is he planning to do that from inside the cage?"
"Agent Romanoff, please escort Dr. Banner away from –"
Tony interrupted and moved to stand between Bruce and Fury.
"Why should he leave? He's the only one besides me who's doing anything useful here."
"I was already far away from here until you decided it would be better for me to be thousands of feet in the sky. But I suppose I should be grateful; you did make me my own room."
"The cage was just in case –"
"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I know, I tried!"
Everyone stopped and stared at Bruce. It made him uncomfortable, but the anger was bubbling up inside him, and he kept going.
I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth, and the Other Guy spit it out. So, I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freakshow and put everyone here at risk!"
The room was utterly silent except for the sound of Fury and Natasha unhooking their holsters. But all Bruce could focus on was keeping himself stable. He didn't even notice when Tony stepped towards him and reached down to pull the scepter out of his hand.
"Bruce…"
Bruce let go, and reality came flooding back. He hardly had time to process what had happened when a beeping sound started coming from the computer. Bruce walked over to it, looked at the screen, and gasped. The model had locked onto the location of the Tesseract: Stark Tower.
Tony had followed Bruce to the computer, but before Bruce had a chance to show him, a loud explosion shot through the interior of the helicarrier. The floor of the lab gave way, and Bruce and Tony fell to the deck below.