Chapter 6 - The Edge of the Bifrost
Tony watched as Bruce wandered into the kitchen wearing the Iron Man pajamas he had given him for Christmas as a joke. Bruce hadn't worn them when the others were around, maybe because he didn't want to hear the kind of snide remarks Clint made whenever Tony wore his furry green Hulk slippers, not that Tony cared. (As if Clint were an authority on fashion. Everything the guy wore was probably SHIELD issue, including his sleepwear.)
Bruce barely glanced at the god of thunder sitting next to Tony at the breakfast table before he began rummaging around in the cabinet for a coffee mug. He was probably trying to find one of the jumbo-sized ones everyone on the team preferred. Maybe he ought to just donate the smaller mugs to one of the city's homeless shelters and fill the cabinet with oversized mugs.
"Hey, Thor. Back again so soon?" Bruce asked belatedly, after his first sip of life-giving coffee.
The mug Thor held looked like a teeny doll sized mug in his hands, and he'd already refilled it five times. (Yep, they definitely needed larger mugs.) Instead of answering Bruce's question, Thor blinked at Tony over his tiny mug, which was fair enough, as Tony had told him to leave the talking to him.
"Point Break here wants to take us to Asgard," said Tony.
"Wait, really?" Bruce spun around, his face lit up like a kid whose parents had just told him they were going to Disneyland.
Howard had never taken Tony to Disneyland. If he ever had a kid, he was definitely taking his kid to Disneyland. He wondered if he could rent the entire park out for a day—hold on, why wait to have a kid? He'd rent out Disneyland and invite all the Avengers, Pepper, Rhodey—basically everyone he'd want in his wedding party if he and Pepper ever got around to actually marrying—wait, could he convince Pepper to get married in Cinderella Castle? Now that he thought of it, he'd totally get married in Cinderella Castle, and Donald Duck could officiate. But she'd probably rather do something classy, maybe get married on a beach somewhere—
"Tony, you still with us?" asked Bruce.
"Sorry. Just wondering if Pepper would let a duck marry her."
"I'm pretty sure she'd rather marry you, if you ever get around to asking," said Bruce, the corner of his mouth quirking up around the edge of his coffee cup.
"Maybe I'm waiting for her to propose, Bruce. Don't be sexist."
"My guess is you'll be waiting a long time. Pepper is so busy running SI, marriage is probably the last thing on her mind," Bruce pointed out. "Now, as I was asking, why are we being invited to Asgard?"
"Thor wants us to help him figure out if aliens still have a psychic connection with his little brother," Tony told him.
Bruce nodded, as if what Tony had just said made perfect sense. "Right, and how are we supposed to do that?"
"We'll figure it out as we go?" Tony shrugged. "We'll take along whatever equipment might potentially be helpful—a Geiger counter, an EMF meter, thermal cameras, tinfoil and duct tape—"
Bruce arched an eyebrow as Tony listed what a quick Google search had told him were the standard supplies for tracking paranormal activity, plus supplies for making that stylish tinfoil hat. "Hold on, why do we even think Loki is—what, communicating with aliens? Being influenced by them?"
"He hears voices," Thor told him.
"Right," drawled Bruce, his eyes shifting between Thor and Tony as iftheywere the ones who might be nuts. "Tony, why don't you gather that equipment, or maybe get some sleep, while I make a phone call? I think I know someone who might actually be able to help."
ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっc且~~
Leonard had been eating his breakfast on the couch in front of the television—cornflakes again, with soy milk—when his phone buzzed in the pocket of his pajama pants, jolting him awake just before he'd nodded face first into his cereal bowl.
He didn't recognize the number, but he hit the button to accept the call anyway, fully expecting it to be another sales call, or a scammer who'd try to convince him that he owed back taxes to the IRS, which for some reason needed to be paid in Best Buy gift cards.
"Hey, is this Leonard Samson?" It didn't sound like a telemarketer or a scanner on the other end of the line—in fact, he thought he recognized the voice.
"Bruce, is that you?" For a moment, he wondered how Bruce Banner had gotten his number, but then he remembered that it was listed in the Culver University online staff directory. He taught evening PSYCH courses at Culver as an adjunct professor, and since he didn't have an office on campus, they had listed his cell phone as his office number.
"Yeah, it's me."
What the heck—why was his ex-girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, a guy he had known for about two days, hadn't seen in years, and who had saved New York from aliens a few months back and was now considered one of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes," calling him? "Hey buddy! I saw you on TV. So you're an Avenger now, that's great. Look, if you're calling about Betty, I haven't heard anything from her at all in three years, and I don't have her number."
"No, that's not why I'm calling," Bruce told him. "I was actually wondering if you'd be up for going—and I know this is going to sound crazy—to another planet?"
"Well, that's not an offer I get every day," he said, starting to wonder if Bruce had called him as a practical joke.
"We need you to do a psych eval on someone."
We—did he mean the Avengers? He couldn't believe it; Leonard Samson, MD–PhD, was being called on by the Avengers in a professional capacity. "Sorry—you want me to go to another planet to do a psych eval?"
"Just wait until you hear who it is—"
Leonard hung up the phone, and then stared at it for about a minute and a half. Then he opened his contacts and attempted to call his receptionist, who didn't answer her phone. Instead, he sent her a text, and sent a couple more texts to the two patients with appointments booked for that day. He also sent an email to his PSYCH 101 class to let them know class was canceled. He checked the train schedules. There was an Amtrack leaving from Union Station that should get him to New York by that afternoon, if he could just beat the morning rush hour traffic into DC.
( ^o^)Г #]
"This is Leonard Samson," Bruce said, introducing a tall, dark haired man in business casual khakis and a pastel striped button down shirt. "He's an old colleague of mine from Culver." The other man looked at Bruce uncertainly, and Tony had a feeling there was something more to that story, if Bruce wasn't lying outright. "Leonard is a psychiatrist, Thor."
The guy must have been too intimidated to speak. He stuck his hand out towards Thor, who looked at it for a moment before he remembered what he was supposed to do with it. He reached out to grip the man's hand tightly, pulling him forward and yanking his hand up and down violently. "Ah, yes. One of your mind healers who is able to dispense medicine, if I am not mistaken."
The man nodded, and looked pleasantly surprised that Thor understood. "That's basically it."
"I thought Leonard could help us figure out if Loki is, uh—" Bruce seemed a bit at loss for words.
Tony decided to help. "Crazier than a bag full of cats?"
Bruce blanched. "Tony, I know what I said on the Hellicarrier, but don't," he hissed.
"Nuttier than a fruitcake?" Tony asked, enjoying his friend's embarrassment, probably because he was a terrible person.
"Tony."
"Totally bananas?"
"Tony, stop, that isn't funny." His eyes darted toward Thor.
Tony was pretty sure everything he'd just said had gone right over the poor guy's head. Besides, wasn't it just as bad to dance around the issue? "Then say what you mean, Bruce, because I can do this all day."
"All I mean is that Doctor Samson will have a better idea of whether or not Loki is delusional or—not telling the truth." Bruce seemed to be reluctant to call Loki a liar in front of Thor, too. (Wasn't Loki literally the god of lies?)
"If it turns out he is delusional, I'll be able to suggest a diagnosis, and possibly treatment," said Samson.
"Is 'bananas' a diagnosis?" Thor asked. "I thought it was a fruit."
Bruce glared at Tony all over again. It could have been his imagination, but he thought he saw a flash of green in his eyes.
- \ ` - ._ _ _ _ ;;
- `. bananas- ;'
_`-=====''
The jacket Tony had worn wasn't warm enough for standing around Central Park in January, especially when it was nearly dusk, but he doubted it would be this cold in Asgard. He'd hate to have to haul around a bulky thermal jacket once they got there. He already had two overnight bags to haul around, one of them stuffed full of (probably useless) equipment and tinfoil.
He pulled out his Stark Phone. "JARVIS," he said through chattering teeth, "remind me later to invent a thermal jacket out of nanobots that turn into a wristband or something when you're not wearing it."
"You already invented that, Sir," replied JARVIS.
"Wait, I did? Why am I not wearing it, then? And why am I not like ten times wealthier than I already am?"
"The answer to both questions is that though you designed such a garment, it is not currently feasible to produce a prototype, as nanorobotic technology is not yet advanced enough."
"In that case, we should be diverting more of SI's resources into nanotechnology research."
"You will need to run that by Miss Potts, I believe. She is the CEO."
"Talk to her for me, will you? Oh, and tell her I'm going to be out on Avenger's business for a few days."
"Would it not be a good idea to call her and tell her yourself?" The AI sounded almost disapproving. Talking to JARVIS through the phone, it was easy to forget that he wasn't a human being.
He probably should call Pepper himself, but Pepper would only have some objection to Tony taking a last second vacation off-planet, and it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? "Nah, you do it."
"Very well, Sir," JARVIS said, and this time, Tony could have sworn JARVIS sounded resigned if not a little exasperated.
Tony put his phone back in his pocket. Once they got to Asgard, he wouldn't be able to use it to talk to JARVIS or to anyone else, but he could still use the camera. Hopefully, Asgard didn't have a no-photography policy, but he wasn't planning to ask. Again, he figured forgiveness was easier than permission.
Why did they have to leave from Central Park in the first place—couldn't they have used the Tesseract inside, where it was warm? Tony blinked at the blue glowing cube that had been inserted in whatever device Thor had brought from Asgard the first time. "Hey, I just thought about this, but have you just had that thing in your pocket the entire time?" Tony asked, looking Thor up and down, trying to figure out if he even had pockets.
Instead of answering Tony's question, Thor just shrugged. "One of you should be touching me, and the other two should take hold of the other handle. Take care not to let go before we arrive in Asgard, or there is no telling where you will end up."
Tony plastered himself to Thor's side, suddenly wanting to make sure he had as much contact as possible with the big guy. Bruce and Leonard huddled together as well, taking hold of the other handle.
The sensation of traveling via Tesseract was something like being shot out of a cannon, taking a headfirst dive off the edge of the world and subsequently being bounced around the universe like a pinball. At the end of the line, Tony felt as if he had just ridden every motion sickness inducing amusement park ride he had ever been on at one time, but somehow, he managed not to lose the contents of his stomach.
They had landed on a bridge. Tony let go of Thor and took a few stumbling steps towards the edge before Thor caught him again. "Careful, friend. You do not want to fall from here."
Tony stared over the edge into complete darkness. "Shit, how far down does that go?"
"Below lies the void between worlds," Thor said. "I used to think that if you falling from here meant certain death, however—"
"Are you seriously saying it isn't?"
"Loki fell into the void and lived. I still do not understand how."
"Whoa, what?"
Doc Samson came up beside them to look over the edge as well. "When you say your brother fell—how did that happen, exactly?"
"We fought here, and we both fell over the edge—in the end we were hanging, clinging to Father's staff. Loki hung below me. I called out to him, begged him not to, because I could see in his eyes what he intended to do, but it was for naught. Loki chose to let go."
"Do you think he wanted to die? Or did he sacrifice himself, so he wouldn't just pull you down with him?"
Thor's eyes narrowed as he looked out over the edge. "As for whether or not Loki wanted to die, I do not know. Loki knows many alternate routes between the realms. Perhaps he knew that he would not die. I admit that your other idea has never occurred to me. I would gladly die for my brother, but—"
"You don't think he'd do the same for you?" Tony filled in.
Thor shook his head. "I would not want him to. He is my younger brother. If one of us ever dies in protection of the other, it ought to be me."
"Have you asked him what he was thinking?" Samson asked.
"The only time we have spoken of it was on Midgard, when we were fighting—or perhaps not. Now that I think of it, he might have been speaking figuratively when he accused me of throwing him into an abyss. He was in one of his dramatic moods. Anyway, that was not how it happened. "
Samson didn't push Thor to say any more. Having all gotten their equilibrium back, they started walking down the bridge, which Tony now realized was made of a material he had never seen before. Whatever it was glowed in an array of prismatic colors. He'd have been more curious about that, if he wasn't busy trying to keep as far away from the edge as possible. "You know, you guys ought to put up guard rails or something. This is seriously scary, and that's coming from a guy that flies through the air in a tin can powered by a fancy pace maker. Though come to think of it, I'd probably feel a lot better right now if I was wearing the suit. You doin' okay, Brucie?"
"Yeah, I'm good," said Bruce, as if he really had no fear of heights, or of potentially falling into a nothing dimension where he might slowly suffocate or get torn apart by a black hole. "I'm pretty sure the other guy wouldn't let me fall over the edge," he explained.
"I hope you don't mind me asking this," Samson said to Thor, "but do you have many problems with people trying to throw themselves over the edge? On Earth, most bridges do have guardrails, and some are even designed specifically to discourage people from jumping off them."
Thor frowned. "I cannot think of an instance of anyone willingly throwing themselves off the edge. Death by one's own hand is considered dishonorable, which is just one more reason I was shocked that Loki would let go. Though I suppose his actions leading up to that point had not exactly been honorable either."
"What do you mean, 'dishonorable?'" Samson asked.
"It means that had he died, his soul would have been consigned to Helheim until Ragnarok, the end of days."
"So in your world view, committing suicide means you go to the Bad Place?" asked Tony. He wasn't judging or anything, he just wanted to make sure he understood—okay, maybe he was judging a little. Condemning someone because they had taken their own life seemed like the definition of kicking someone when they were already down.
"From what I remember about Norse mythology, Helheim isn't the same thing as Hell," Bruce interjected. "It's more like purgatory or something. Most people would go there."
"It is the place most souls are destined for," Thor confirmed, "but Loki was raised a warrior. It is only right that he die honorably in battle, so that he may take his place in the halls of Valhalla."
"You want your brother to die in battle?" Samson asked.
Thor paused as he was walking and took a few moments to answer. "No, I would rather he did not. I would have him live another four thousand years and die dishonorably in his sleep. But if he is to die young, an 'honorable' death in battle would be more comforting than the alternatives. We do not die of physical ailments, so there are not many."
"Okay, I guess that sort of makes sense," Tony admitted, though begrudgingly. "If he doesn't die in battle, it means he's killed himself, someone murdered him, or he was in one of those gruesome 'accidental dismemberment' scenarios, any of which would be tragic. Dying in battle would be tragic too, but at least it might mean something."
Thor nodded in agreement, and they continued on their way. Tony heaved a sigh of relief as the bridge gave way to the city, and he no longer had to worry about falling off the edge of the world.
ｼ（≧◇≦)=[[_]]=(≧▽≦;;)ﾉﾞ
Thor was glad to see that his brother had not torn his cell apart again. However, Loki was lying in his bed with his back to them, and seemed disinclined to acknowledge their presence. "Brother, I have brought you visitors. There is no need to be shy," said Thor, half hoping Loki would respond with something inappropriate just to prove he was anything but.
Loki groaned in a way that worried him. "Go away."
"Are you feeling ill, Brother?"
"I'm fine," Loki snapped, finally rolling onto his other side to face them. "Mother already set the healers to poking me. Despite their best efforts to cause me as much discomfort and irritation as possible, they couldn't find anything wrong. Now leave me alone."
Poor Loki. Asgardian medicine wasn't nearly as invasive as what Thor had experienced in that Midgardian hospital Jane had took him to, but his brother had always had little patience for healers; staying still and allowing others to touch him were not among Loki's favorite activities. "The Man of Iron, Doctor Banner, and Doctor Samson have come all the way from Midgard to try to help you. You should at least say hello to them, Loki."
"Samson?" Loki asked, propping himself up on one arm. "I have not heard of a Doctor Samson. He is not one of your precious has he come?"
"Loki, do not say 'precious Avengers.' It makes you sound like a villain. Son of Sam is—"
Samson cut him off as he stepped up to the edge of the barrier. "I'm a colleague of Doctor Banner's. I'm just here to help, like your brother said."
Loki arched an eyebrow at the man. He got out of bed, wandered over and sat down at the edge of the barrier, so that he would be closer to eye level with him. "I see. And what is your specialty, Doctor Samson?"
"I'm a medical doctor," Samson told him.
"And what is your specialty within the field of medicine?"
Samson smiled kindly. "You're very perceptive, aren't you?"
"I have been told so. But that was not an answer to my question."
"You think you know the answer, though. So you tell me, what kind of doctor am I, Loki?"
Loki scowled. "You are a psychologist—no, the term would be psychiatrist, because you are medical doctor, correct? My idiot brother has enlisted you because he believes me to be insane."
Samson nodded, seemingly unperturbed by Loki's clear disdain for him. "I'm here to assess your mental health, yes."
"And your assessment so far?"
"I haven't spoken with you long enough to make an assessment."
Without saying another word, Loki got up, selected a book from his shelf, sat back down on his bed. "I'm sorry about this," Thor apologized, mortified by his brother's behavior. "Loki, what are you doing?" he scolded. "I have brought these men all the way from Midgard for your benefit. Ignoring them is extremely rude."
"I did not ask for your help or theirs," Loki said calmly as he flipped through the pages of his book, perhaps to find the place where he had left off. Without looking up, he pointed over the book at Doctor Banner. "In fact, I specifically asked that you not bring that here. I certainly will not be speaking to your little psychiatrist. Now go away."
Doctor Samson put a hand on Thor's shoulder. "It's alright. We can come back later. Before we came, I was worried that he would understand why I was here at all, but he clearly understands enough to already have misconceptions about it."
He turned to Loki again. "I really am here to help. If you'll let me, I'd like to listen to what you have to say and help you work through the problems you've been having. I'm not here to judge you, condemn your behavior, or label you as 'sane' or 'insane.' And while I think as much candidness as possible would be to your benefit, you don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable telling me."
Loki turned another page in his book and said nothing to acknowledge what Doctor Samson's words, but the man nodded again as if certain that Loki had heard him. "Why don't you show us where we're staying now, and we come back tomorrow?" Samson suggested, turning back to Thor. "That way your brother has time to get used to the idea of talking to me."
Thor wasn't sure Samson understood just how stubborn his little brother could be, but it was clear that Loki had shut them out for now. Thor nodded and proceeded to lead the others back out of the prison.
（；¬＿¬) ╭∩╮(︶︿︶)╭∩╮
The sunlight bouncing off the palace's highly reflective surfaces was nearly blinding after being underground, but at least the air felt a lot less stale. Thor led down a long, wide corridor, half of which was lined with arches that were open to the outside. Hopefully he was leading them to a guest room, because Tony was getting tired of hauling around his luggage.
"So, any first impressions?" Tony asked Samson as they walked, partly because he couldn't stand the uncomfortable silence, and partly because he was curious to know what the psychiatrist had made of Loki's behavior.
"It's like I told him," said Samson, "I haven't spoken to him long enough to make an assessment. I do have a question, though. Thor, how old is your brother?"
"He is one thousand, forty-nine years old—no wait, one thousand, fifty. The anniversary of his birth passed a few weeks ago. Perhaps that's why he's vexed with me? With everything else that's been going on, I think I forgot to acknowledge it."
"Is he even what your people would consider an adult, though? He looks awfully young."
Tony had thought the same thing, but he'd chalked it up to the fact that the guy was both seriously underweight and looked like he hadn't slept in a week. He wondered if Loki had looked that bad during the invasion, but he hadn't noticed. He certainly looked different without his armor to give him some bulk. Maybe it was the comically large horns had distracted Tony from getting a good look at his face?
"He is past the age of majority, but just barely. Aesir are generally considered adults when they turn one millenia old, though there are trials we undergo to qualify for full adulthood. Loki passed his at a younger age than most."
"So that makes him what—the equivalent of an eighteen year old? Possibly a little older or younger, if Asgard's definition of adulthood is different than ours. Either way, I doubt we're dealing with a fully mature adult from a developmental standpoint."
"So Reindeer Games is still a teenager?" Tony couldn't help snorting a little. "That explains a lot."
"Does it?" Thor asked, his eyes trained on the highly polished marble of the floor ahead of them.
"It depends on how cognitively similar humans and Aesir are," Samson explained. "In humans, the prefrontal cortex of the brain isn't fully developed until somewhere between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. That's the part of the brain that's tied to decision making and impulse control. Teenagers also tend to have fluctuations in certain sex hormones, which means their emotions can swing suddenly and be a little overwhelming for them at times."
Tony couldn't help but add his own input. "Also makes them super horny, which is totally frustrating when girls won't even look at you because you're a foot shorter than they are and your voice hasn't changed yet—" The others were looking at him, and suddenly he felt a little self-conscious. "Not that I know about that from experience or anything, since I have always been awesome and manly and totally smooth when it came to the ladies. This mustache? Had it since I was twelve." The others made a point of looking away from him then, but Tony could tell that Bruce was biting the inside of his lip to keep from laughing.
"Loki's youth does not excuse the things that led to his imprisonment," said Thor, though something told Tony he was hoping for someone to tell him it did.
"It doesn't," said Tony, though he hated to disappoint him. "But it might explain the mood swings and the attitude. The name calling, telling us to leave him alone, giving us the silent treatment? We have a name for that, Point Break: 'teenage angst.'"
"It's not an excuse for amoral, antisocial behavior, nor does it explain all of his emotional issues," said Samson. "It's just something to take into account. He doesn't seem to be eating or sleeping well, which might point to depression or anxiety issues, but again, I need to talk to him more. I will say that his current isolation probably isn't helping matters."
"Loki is a prince of this realm. He must be kept apart from the other prisoners for his own safety. And as a sorcerer, he must be kept away from others for their safety. However, I have been making an effort to visit him as much as possible, to prevent him from feeling isolated. Mother visits him nearly every day as well, though Father has forbidden her from visiting the prison in person, and must visit via illusion instead."
"Does your father ever visit him?" asked Samson.
"He does not visit the prisons, but I know he has commanded Loki to be brought before the throne on several occasions. I admit I do not know much about those meetings, for they are closed hearings."
Samson frowned at that. "I'd like to talk to both your parents, if possible."
"I am not certain that Odin will grant you an audience," said Thor, "but I am certain Mother will want to meet with you."
Something about that rubbed Tony the wrong way. "So Odin can't be bothered to have a chat with the psychiatrist who's here to treat his own son?"
Thor looked guilty as hell, and Tony knew immediately that he'd failed to mention something. "Odin no longer officially recognizes Loki as his son."
"He disowned him?" Seriously, who actually disowned their own kid for any reason? Sure, Howard had threatened to disown him a couple of times, but he'd never really done it, just like Tony had never actually dismantled Dum-E and turned him into a smoothie machine. (Then again, neither Tony nor Dum-E had tried to take over the Earth with the help of an alien army.) "Why did he let us come here to try to help him then, if Loki doesn't mean anything to him anymore?"
"He may not be aware of the exact reason you are here. He does not know that Doctor Samson is here at all. I only gained permission for you and Doctor Banner to be allowed entrance to Asgard. Many of the court are intrigued by the tale of the Midgardian warriors who subdued Loki Liesmith, traitor to Asgard." Thor didn't seem happy about it. The court's gloating over his own brother's downfall probably didn't sit well with him to begin with, but something he'd said made Tony think that they weren't in Asgard as honored heroes, either.
The court was "intrigued"—which meant they were curious, because they didn't think puny mortals would be a match for an Asgardian teenager. "So what, we're here as some kind of freak show?" Tony guessed.
"I do not know what a freak show is, but if you are asking if the court regards you as a curiosity, the answer is yes. I do apologize, but mortals are not held in high regard here. The All-Father would have scoffed at the idea of bringing Midgardian scientists and doctors here to help Loki even if he thought Loki deserving of help."
"Oh, fantastic. So not only does Loki not want our help, your Dad is going to flip his lid if he finds out what we're doing."
"Flip his—"
"Get angry, Thor. Really, really angry."
"If Father finds out about this, I will take responsibility for it. And my mother does know why you are here, and will approve heartily of Doctor Samson's addition. She heard about Midgardian mind healers from Jane as well, and was quite intrigued." There was that word again, "intrigued." "Of course, I believe Mother would try anything to help Loki," Thor added—the 'including bringing in barbarian witch doctors from the backwaters of the universe' was left unsaid.
"How is Odin not going to figure out Doc's here, though?" Tony asked.
"Mother will help to keep him hidden from Father," Thor told him. "She is the one who taught Loki all of his magic."
"If we're here to entertain the court, does that mean we're going to have to let you parade us in front of them?"
"There will be no parade, but there will be a feast in the great hall, which you are expected to attend."
"Huh. That's all? That actually doesn't sound so bad." Tony looked over at Bruce, though, and noticed how nervous the other man looked. Right, unlike him, Bruce didn't like being the center of attention.
╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭
Author's Note:
Thank you to those who have commented!
Most of the text breaks are copied Japanese emoticon websites, but some of them are my own creations, or things I've tweaked. The banana halfway through this chapter is my own attempt at ASII art, but it's pretty abstract at this point, because I had to make a lot of modifications to it for this site. Doc Manager is in no way ASCII art friendly.
Leonard Samson's scenes were mostly cut from The Incredible Hulk, but they're in the DVD extras. So my characterization of him is based more or less on those cut scenes, and on the comics. All you really need to know about Leonard is that he's a psychiatrist, and he's extremely confident in his abilities, possibly to the point of narcissism.
Do you guys read the comics? What are your favorites? (If you've never read any of them, Marvel Unlimited is a great way to get access both newer comics and things that are out of print, like Loki: Agent of Asgard. Definitely read that one. I am in no way associated with or have any financial interest in Marvel Unlimited, just to be clear; it's just a service I use, enjoy, and find extremely useful for my fanfic-related research.)