Disclaimer: I don't own any Avengers, The green hornet or Battlestar Galactica (BSG). I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far! Don't be shy!
Chapter 13: Meanwhile, in Queens...
Well, things could be worse. I mean, the day is okay overall. Yeah, well, your girlfriend doesn't want to talk to you but, but you're buying coffee to Dr. Morse! THE Dr. Morse!
In my defense, I didn't think she'd be like this. I mean, cool. She's cool. Gwen will get it right? Ok, she's there. Be cool, be swell. You're not nervous. You're not nervous.
Oh, what a cool car. Looks taken from um, that movie with Seth Rogen. What was it? Darn it.
"Hi Peter" And she smiles too. Dr. Morse is smiling at me. Or maybe at the coffee. Nah, I'm panicky, of course, I'm panicky, it shows and she's trying to calm me down. Frak, I didn't just throw coffee on her.
"Oh frak!" she cleaned her black skirt. "Did you just say Oh Frak? I mean, I'm sorry Dr. Morse, I'm just… clumsy" Idiot, you're an idiot. She just said Frak. She just said Frak. OMG she can't, OMG, has to be a coincidence.
"Don't worry about it." She frowned and touched her forehead. She seemed tired. "Like this car? It's Stanny's. He'd like to be Britt Reid. You know, from Green hornet" Right, that was the name. Cool movie, based on radio shows. Ok, talk, you're talking to Dr. Morse.
"You've been friends long? You seem friendly". She half smiled and explained they've been buddies since undergrad, both outsider geeks for different reasons. She was too young to be noticed by anyone, he was too deep into PCs to call anyone's attention. They met at the library; he helped her with some books in a high shelf. Sounds like a movie. Wait a minute, are they in love? Wow, Dr. Morse with a geek. This is too much. And she said Frak.
"So you're together? I mean, I don't mean to intrude" she chuckled, "No way! He's too full of himself. Deep down he's a good guy. And he can design great, and I mean great toys but nah, no way" She moved and got dizzy and he caught her and her coffee, without spilling this time. Oh crap, she didn't just notice that, she didn't just notice that.
"Good catch Peter. Thanks. I think I should take an aspirin or something. Or maybe I need food, hadn't had lunch yet. Wanna grab a bite?" Be cool. Be cool. "Um, sure" she lead the way to a small green beetle. He opened the passenger's door and a bag was there. Colorful: yellow, red, blue and back to yellow. The Eye of Jupiter, the ultimate Battlestar Galactica symbol from the 2003 series. Wow.
"Lords of Kobol, is this yours?" He grabbed the bag and she nodded "Frak yeah, kiddo, I made it" he was beaming at her. He sat on the passenger's seat and started talking about BSG and the characters and how the technology was entirely viable "I mean, we had aliens coming from the sky! New mutants come up with crazy stuff every week! It's only a matter of time until someone comes up with the FTL"* "Yeap, and what about that guy who swings from buildings and stops a frakking giant lizard ha!?" Uh oh. Crap. Say something. Say something "Yeah, crazy!"
"Well, if you apply for a scholarship maybe you are the one to come up with the FTL" She gave him an honest smile. Yeah well, I need to get money for the mortgage and get a job and get Gwen on her good side and be Spiderman. He sighed.
"Wanna talk about it?" he shook his head "Well, sometimes talking to a complete stranger helps" now she frowned. What is going on with her?
They spotted a little family restaurant and she stopped the car "How do you feel about ribs?" What a weird question. "Okay?" She beamed at him "Cool, cos I'm starving and they make the best ribs in the city, c'mon, grab my bag". She looks… high. Is she high? Do they get high at that age? Wow. Ok, she's not that old. She's not old at all, oh shut up.
After a while sitting down he got the nerve of asking how the cut happened "Oh you must think I'm high or something. Well you ain't wrong. And I've just used "ain't". Definitely high" He snorted and kept smiling at her "I've been working in this formula to stabilize – um a guy and I couldn't find the glitch and then a colleague-nah, a friend really, yes, my friend figured out what was wrong and he was going away so I got his info transferred to my pad and I was coming down the stairs with the comm and the Bluetooth and reading and totally missed this guy who was coming up the stairs and bang!" Ok, she's awesome.
"And you just hit your head and started acting funny?" She got serious all of the sudden "Not quite. I, um, I have this sort of allergy to a certain type of meds and the dick who was attending me didn't bother to read my med record so… well, I got a bit… trippy. It's wearing off now" Why is she here? She should be resting "You should be resting" she breathed in "Yeah, but, you know how they say, there's no rest for the wicked" there was the frown again. Something was bothering her.
He saw there was an opening for waiter and decided to come by later. He thought of changing the subject while they ate their ribs so he started talking about life and the mortgage and how Gwen was super excited about college and he was couldn't be anything but desperate on trying to figure out how to get enough money for the mortgage. She kept on nodding and asking questions, but not in an inquisitive way but more in a "Been there, done that" manner.
After a while she got a text that didn't say much but was enough to worry her "I'm sorry but I have to get going back to the office. Can I drop you off somewhere?" She was to drop him off near Gwen's home where he could change and do his rounds. She stopped the car in the corner. "Um, before you leave, there's um, you know all that pile of crap Stan said before? About why I came to the fair today and all"? Uh-oh. If I knock her down and lock the car there's no way she can follow me. But it's a crowded street, anyone can see me. And she knows where I study. Hell, she knows everything. You're so stupid.
"I work for SHIELD. I was meant to offer you a part-time job and a scholarship." Was. You were here to set me up. "And why didn't you?" she half smiled "I dunno" What is she doing? She's playing you, that's what she's doing. Gods, these people know all about you! They even know about the paper you wrote!
"You knew I liked your paper. That's why you're here." She frowned "Probably the guy who sent me here did. All I know is that you're very smart, have great reflexes and can design things in your basement" Shit, buy time, buy time. What can you do? Really? What? "So, what's the offer?"
"Part-time job in the science division along with people like Dr. Banner and me" he wasn't impressed. He had disappointment and betrayal written all over his face. "Dr. Banner turns into a big green guy. You may've seen him fighting aliens a year or so ago" Giving intel to a civilian was a bold move.
One that seemed to be working.
"You work with the Avengers?" She nodded with a timid smile. "Yup, I'm their main physician" he looked puzzled "I'm a doctor. I did that after biochemistry. I do both things in there. It's not that bad. I mean, nothing is 100% good or bad in any scale. I know you're a good guy but I bet there's something reckless you did that haunts you. We all have that" a flash of Uncle Ben bleeding to death got to his mind.
"How do you know I'm good?" She snorted "Someone with your… talents could be a really shitty person. Steal, kill, go away to Virgin Islands or something. But nope, you're not like that. You stay here, standing up for the little guy, getting shot, risking college and your girlfriend to help your aunt. Not everyone does that Peter"
"What don't you know about me?" she had pouty lips and half a smirk "Um, you hadn't told me what your favorite BSG character is" he couldn't help grin at her. Oh crap, you can't trust her man, you can't trust her. She's… c'mon! "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours"
"Helo of course. He kicks ass and is truthful. Best friend Kara has. Great husband and father. Best XO in the fleet" He nodded in agreement. He was meant to move. He had to leave the car and think. He couldn't trust her but he couldn't help doing so.
Her phone kept vibrating in her pocket and she kept on ignoring it "Someone's calling you" She disregarded it "You hadn't told me your favorite yet" he looked right into her eyes. This is a bad idea. You can't trust her. She's playing you. She's jedi mindtricking you. She probably had badass training and… frak it.
"I should go now" she grabbed a folder from her BSG-themed purse "All the stuff's in there. Read it. You can burn it or throw it away, whatever you choose" she grabbed a little card from her pocket and wrote something on the back "That's my phone. If you find yourself in trouble, bleeding or something, give me a call. I have the phone with me at all times. I'm good at patching up people in costumes. Please?" Ok, don't fall for that. You can't fall for that. She's tricking you. She's luring you in with BSG stuff and niceties. And great ribs. Ok, she's nice. She doesn't have to give you her phone. Man, she's playing you! It's all part of the… No it's not. The folder is, her card isn't. She means well, she has to mean well.
He grabbed the card and the folder and got off the car, closing the door with a particular loud noise, shattering the glass. "Hey Peter" he turned around fearing he'd have to pay for a glass he couldn't afford. "It was nice meeting you; call me if you need me, ok?"
He waved at her with the folder in his hand "Baltar, that's my favorite" she smiled and waved while driving away.
He looked at the folder and the card. Gwen's home was two steps away. She was probably in her room. He could come up and explain and they could over everything that just happened. He could climb in no time.
He put the folder in his backpack and started walking away slowly. He looked at the card, turned it around and saw Penny's handwriting. He couldn't help half smiling while he put it in his pocket. Oh man, you're a goner.
FTL: Faster Than Light. It's the device used in BSG to make the ships travel at Faster than light speed.
