File ID: 64224 - June 04, 2012
Name: Robert Bruce Banner/Hulk
Species: Human
Date of birth: December 18, 1969
Place of birth: United States of America
Citizenship: American
Occupation: Physicist
Family status: — (note: patient warned me that the question is "useless and ridiculous" in his case)
"Currently you're employed by Stark Industries, is that correct?" I ask reading my notes.
Bruce slowly nods. He looks like he doesn't understand why I sent him a message yesterday reminding him of today's session. After I finished it in a hurry last time, he probably thought he could get away with not showing up. But I have a new plan.
"It's not that simple. I work here in the tower, but my researches are also used by SHIELD."
"Researches on what?" He raises his eyebrow.
"Do you want to talk about my job?" I nod. He sighs. "Some weapons and… corps of the Chitauri remained here. Fury and Stark think we should examine them and see what we can find. To be prepared."
"Prepared?"
"For future assaults." He looks nonchalant.
"Are you not worried about possible attacks against Earth in the future?"
"I would not say that. But it was only one group. Now we spend time and money to research their weapons and bodies but to what end? Future attacks will come from someone else. They will have other weapons, ones we can only imagine right now. What are we going to do? Check their weapons after another battle that will demolish another metropolis?"
He has a point. "I think Mr Fury and Mr Stark are simply trying to learn from what happened. To draw the conclusions. To see what we are dealing with."
"They are still under the illusion that it will help us. Save us. But this planet is just one of the many and many of the others are hostile towards us."
I can see where this is going. I try to take a new direction. "Bruce, I understand you might be worried about-"
"I am not just worried," he intervenes. "I am scared. Just like Tony is. The difference is that I accept that we can't control everything. Tony does not."
"Did you find something interesting?" I ask. "Something useful?"
He shrugs. "It seems they didn't have blood but some unidentified liquid coursing through them. But I'm not a biologist, so now I'm trying to get Fury to send me one so we can continue the tests."
"How much do you work these days?"
"Well, around ten hours a day. Sometimes twelve."
"Do you have a reason to overwork so much?"
He looks at me innocently. "You haven't met many scientists, have you?" I raise my eyebrow as I wait for him to get to the point. "For scientist it's really hard to stop working."
"Does that mean you are not tired?"
"Not of work," he replies.
"What are you tired of then?" I prod.
He smiles at me. "Questions of this kind."
I close my eyes and count to ten while I contemplate just how much I need this job. Bruce is quite open about not wanting to talk to me. Natasha paints her nails in my office. Fury doesn't even plan to show up. Honestly it is both infuriating and exhausting.
"Let me guess: my job here is superfluous."
He nods. "That's pretty much what I told you last time as well."
"Oh yes," I continue. "It's like I got an assignment to do a job that might not have any visible result or positive outcome, but I still have to do it because some people up there think that it might help prepare the Avengers of whatever comes next time."
He stares at me and I stare back. For a long minute neither of us speak. "Are you comparing your therapy to my research?" he finally asks.
"That is exactly what I am doing," I confirm. "Sometimes we do not have all the answers. Sometimes we don't have any answers. But we still have to keep going. Looking for those answers, weighing possible future scenarios, be present, be prepared. I am here to assure that the members of the Avengers are in the right mindset. That next time one of you kills someone innocent, you won't fall apart. That you won't just quit the group because you see justice and superhero duties differently."
Bruce still looks at me in awe. I feel bad for him, really. He only has to listen to my tirade because my patience ran out right in this moment.
"That… that certainly would be beneficial."
I sigh in relief. "Can we talk then? It's really just one hour per week."
He nods. "Fine." He adds a little shrug but I am sure he means it. "I might as well cooperate."
I can't help the grin that spreads on my lips. "Did you get enough rest since the battle of New York?" I ask. "It was a huge exertion and you all seem to have continued working right after it."
He nods. "I had a week off or so."
"But didn't you spend it moving into your lab and ordering everything you need for the research and all of that?"
"Yes. So?" he asks.
"That is basically work."
He smirks. "Ah, so you mean if I lay on the beach for days with a book and sunglasses and pretty cocktails with little umbrellas in them?" I nod.
"No," he says. "But to be fair, I never do that."
"What do you do to relax then? Do you have any hobby?"
"I like reading," he answers. "Novels. A lot of sci-fis and sometimes thrillers. But it's been a while since I had the time for that."
"What else?" I continue. I underline the word sci-fi two times in my notes. This might be my favourite information of Banner.
"Perhaps this would be just the right time, don't you think? You could work less and read a little more."
"It's hard when I work with Tony Stark."
"Why would it be hard?"
"The man practically doesn't sleep, Miss Moon. I go into the lab in the morning and he is there. I walk out at 1am and he says goodnight to me on the corridor. Working less in this environment would feel…"
"Lazy?" I try to finish his sentence when he does not.
He nods. "Lazy. Plus, it's hard to work without a deadline. We do not know when and if we have to use the knowledge we acquire during these months. So we have to be quick."
"Do you enjoy the job?" I ask. "I mean if you strictly concentrate on the work itself, not its purposes or the colleagues. Stark Industries and SHIELD are able to provide the most ideal working conditions I imagine."
"If I only considered the work itself, it would be amazing. I can ask for anything and they will give it to me. I have the most high-tech lab I have ever seen. And the assistants are truly professional. It could be the dream. And then, researching the Chitauri? What physicist wouldn't want to create a piece of history?"
"What about the time you don't spend in the lab? Do you get enough sleep?"
"Less than usual. But when I get to sleep, it's deep and dreamless. I like it this way."
"Have you ever had bad dreams?"
He chuckles dryly. "I have some traumatising memories. They surface sometimes. Other times I turn into a huge green monster."
I detect the sour edge in his tone but I still have to smile at his sass. "That will be a topic for a future session, Bruce." His smile is much lighter now.
"Thank you for your cooperation. And I would like to apologise for that outburst. I didn't mean to-"
"I know," Bruce smiles. "It's alright, Miss Moon. I understand anger."
"I bet you do." I wonder if we will be able to talk about the Hulk some time. Now it doesn't seem impossible at all.