Chapter 6: So I Get to Meet the Hulk
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. To reconcile with that depressing fact I write fanfiction and drink obscene amounts of tea.
Secondary Warning: SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY OVER! It doesn't feel like it at all, but I'll get used to it soon enough. Now I have the freedom to devote my entire life to this! Warning, though, I'm going on a family vacation for 10 days soon and will be without internet so...yeah. This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I hope it's enjoyable. Anyway, all feedback is welcome! On to the awesome that is the Avengers.
Being late really makes traffic laws seem superfluous. Steve made a show of holding on for dear life, but we made it alive, so I have no regrets. Soon enough, Steve and I are on a jet-plane-thingy with Phil. Steve brought his fancy-shmancy debriefing tablet with him and is currently reading up on Bruce Banner.
I'm just sitting across from him trying to figure out how Phil isn't having a full blown fanboy attack over Steve. Phil may be one cool cucumber 99.99% of the time, but I had been hoping that the 0.01% of crazy would happen upon meeting Captain America. I am so disappointed right now, you have no idea. I feel like I've been cheated out of a life changing experience. Like Buddha achieving Enlightenment or watching your favorite band live with front row seats kind of life changing.
"We're about forty minutes out from the base, sir," the pilot informs Phil. Phil then stands and walks over to Steve. Finally! I happily settle in for the show, though I wish I had brought some popcorn.
"So... this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Steve asks us as Phil approaches him.
"Yeperdoodle," I respond.
"A lot of people were," Phil elaborates with a glance of at me to which I reply with a cheesy grin and exuberant thumbs up as encouragement so he continues, "You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula."
"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve asks rhetorically as on screen the Hulk roars and smashes some thing or another.
"Not so much. When he's not that thing, though, guy's like a Stephen Hawking," remarks Phil. We both note Steve's confused expression, but I talk first.
"Stephen Hawking is like the world's current Einstein. The dude has a supes crazy amount of smarticle particles," I supply before Phil can say something actually rational. Steve gives me a look, but nods to show he at least sorta understands. Steve teased me the other day by claiming that I practically speak a different language considering how much I "butcher" the English language. For the rest of the day I used as much English and Australian slang as possible just to mess with him. Ah fun times, man.
"I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially," Phil practically gushes in his reserved kind of way. Steve offers him a kind smile in response before Phil continues, "I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." Good job, Phil! You have successfully given me second hand embarrassment when you are supposed to be making me laugh. Steve looks down to hide his expression and stands to move to the side of the cockpit. Phil follows him and attempts to cover his blunder with, "I mean, I was… I was present while you were unconscious from the ice." Okay now I'm laughing internally. Much better. I embarrass myself enough that I really don't need other people's embarrassment on top of that. "You know, it's really just a huge honor to have you on board this…"
"Nice save, Phil," I chime in. Steve gives me a slightly disapproving look, but I just look back at him with my most innocent expression. I'm an angel. It's even in my name.
"Well I hope I'm the man for the job," is Steve's ever modest reply.
"Oh, you are. Absolutely," Phil reassures him. "We made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."
"The uniform?" Steve questions. "Aren't the stars and stripes a little… old-fashioned?"
"With everything that's happening and the things that are about to come to light, people just might need a little old-fashioned," Phil informs Steve.
"Well, that's depressing. Say Phil, what exactly is about to come to light?" I ask from behind them.
"I don't have the authorization to tell you that, Eve," Phil tells me apologetically.
"Fine," I sigh. "So, Phil, don't you have something to ask the Captain?"
Phil gives me a slightly pleading look so we start having a conversation based entirely on extremely subtle facial expressions. Meanwhile, Steve just waits patiently to figure out what I'm talking about with a confused expression frozen on his face. Ha, frozen. I'm funny. Eventually I give in and cover for Phil. We spend the remainder of the trip telling war stories. Well, all the ones that we can actually tell. Some are either classified or still too painful to talk about. Either way, Phil is happy and Steve looks a bit more comfortable so mission accomplished.
Soon enough we are landing on the carrier. Steve and Phil exit ahead of me and Natasha walks up as Phil gives a quick order to the crewmen nearby.
"Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers," Phil introduces them.
"Ma'am," Steve greets her.
"Hi," she manages before turning to Phil, "They need you on the bridge. They're starting the face-trace."
"See you there," Phil replies while quickly walking away.
"Hiya, Romanoff!" I exclaim as soon as I get the chance as we slowly start walking.
"Hey, Eve," She responds with a small smile. Seeing Steve looking between the two of us she decides to address him, "It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"
"Trading cards?" asks Steve with a grin.
"They're vintage. He's very proud," Nat replies.
"They are really nice," I add slightly defensively. Phil is my favorite so only I can tease him. Suddenly, I spot Dr. Banner a few feet away, but before I can greet him Steve beats me to it.
"Dr. Banner," he calls out to get his attention. Nat hangs back, but I follow Steve as he walks up to Banner.
"Um, yeah, hi," Dr. Banner greets as he walks over to shake Steve's hand. "They told me you would be coming."
"Word is you can find the cube," Steve responds.
"Is that the only word on me?" asks Banner sardonically.
"Only word I care about," Steve informs him briskly.
"Must be strange for you, all this," Banner says while motioning to the general area to change the subject.
"Well, this is actually kind of familiar," Steven jokes. I chuckle without thinking causing both men to turn towards me. Oops. Okay, Eve, you've been noticed so it's time to introduce yourself.
"Hi, Dr. Banner. I'm Eve Greene, Captain Rogers' shadow," I quickly inform him.
"Hi," he says pleasantly, "It's nice to- wait, Eve Greene? As in Evangeline Greene?"
"Um… yes?" I respond hesitantly. How does he know me? Banner starts to say something else, but he's interrupted by Natasha.
"Gentlemen and lady, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's going to get a little hard to breathe," she informs us while also being purposely vague.
"Is this a submarine?" asks Steve incredulously.
"Really? They want me in a submerged, pressurized, metal container?" questions an even more incredulous Banner as he and Steve walk to the edge of the ship.
"No, no, this is much worse," he comments as the turbines power up and the ship lifts out of the water. I roll my eyes and turn to Nat. She motions for us to follow and leads us inside.
She takes us to the command center of the helicarrier which is, admittedly, pretty cool. Steve walks in and puts his hands in his pockets as he takes in his surroundings. I hear snitbids of conversations as I follow him. I suddenly hear Fury say, "Let's vanish." No way. Vanish? Oh my goodness, this thing actually vanishes.
We gather near a table in the back of the area, but none of us are sitting down as Fury turns to us from his main control podium.
"Gentlemen," he greets causing me to glare, but he doesn't amend it. Steve walks up to him, gets out a wad of cash, and hands Fury a ten dollar bill as he goes over to inspect the podium. I roll my eyes, but chose not to mention that Steve never actually accepted Fury's bet. I notice Agent Hill give Steve a once over and have to turn away to keep from giggling. Instead I watch as Fury approaches Banner.
"Doctor, thank you for coming," Fury addresses him while shaking hands.
"Thanks for asking nicely," Banner answers. "So, how long am I staying?"
"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind," Fury promises. For roughly the billionth time I have to repress a snort. As if, Fury.
"Where are you with that?" inquires Banner.
"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops… If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us.," Phil responds for Fury as Steve rejoins us.
"That's still not going to find them in time," Natasha adds from where she's crouched next to a computer with Clint Barton's file on the screen.
"Wait, what's up with that?" I ask while pointing to the screen. Nat gives me a confused look as Banner continues.
"You have to narrow your field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?" Banner asks as he takes off his jacket.
"Romanoff, where is Barton?" I demand. She just looks at me and says nothing.
"How many are there?" Fury replies arrogantly to Banner.
"Natasha, please," I plead quietly.
"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays," Banner tells Phil. "I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for me to work?"
"Agent Romanoff," Fury calls. "Could you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please?" Fury looks over to find Natasha and I in an epic stare off. He stops. Everyone else stops too. Everyone is watching, but I really don't care.
"Nat, please, where is Clint?" I beg. "What happened? He wasn't mentioned in my packet. How's he involved? Please, Nat, please?" I choke out. I can feel myself start shaking so I clench my fists and jaw. "Tell me what happened, now!" I ground out the demand with more force than necessary in order to hide the fear I can feel bubbling up in me. As I said, I don't have many friends, but Clint is basically family. I think I've also mentioned that I'm a worrier. Someone should probably tell me what happened before I explode because I can feel the panic building in me. All the dark places in my mind are pulling me in, thinking up every. single. worse case scenario, and playing them out in vivid detail.
A sudden hand clamps down on my shoulder and my training kicks in. I'm literally half a second away from flipping the person who's touching me over my shoulder when I hear Steve start whispering to me.
"Eve? Eve, it's okay. Calm down. It'll be alright, I promise," he comforts me. I almost start laughing. Aren't I supposed to be the one comforting him? Rather than laughing like a deranged person, I force myself to calm down and breathe. I nod and pat the hand he still has on my shoulder.
"I'm fine," I assure him. I'm lying, of course. We both know that, but he lets me get away with it anyway. I turn and glare at Fury as Steve's hand falls from my shoulder. He actually has the decency to look a tad regretful. Now I'm really scared.
