cape_kore | Bruce Banner | 009

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Bruce Banner | 009 | Video

Update on the mysterious packages. Sherlock and I did some science, and we figured out that for the ones that made people go blind and mute -- those were the only samples we got -- there was some kind of toxin on the items inside. It penetrates the skin very easily, but its toxicity window is small after being exposed, so there weren't any secondary infections from the same box. Unfortunately, I can't say much more than that, unless anyone opens a package and finds a fully stocked lab.

Probably you've already been able to guess as much, but here's the kicker. I have a box here that controlled someone's mind, altered their behavior, and made them obsessed with someone else. That toxin isn't present in this box. As far as I can tell, there's nothing wrong with this very lovely sweater featuring a moose and a tree.

I'm out of science to do here, so I'm wondering... Some of you guys out there know a thing or two about... magic, for lack of a better word, right?

Any takers?

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I got some people down to look at it. There's something off about it, something definitely magical, but that's about it. He said it was hard for him to see much more than that, and no one was jumping at the chance to pick it apart.

[He pulls Tony's notebook over and flips it open, glancing through it instead of opening his body language up to Tony.]

Considering our assortment of especially talented people, it doesn't surprise me that our captors might have someone special on staff.

He? Who—Actually, no. Stupid question.

[ Of course it's Loki. Loki is their resident sorcerer, after all. And he seems willing enough to work with them. For now.

He doesn't really think much of Bruce's lack of openness. He's working, and Tony knows how he gets when he's working; it doesn't surprise him that Bruce is all business either. But Tony is who he is, and he can only not be himself for so long. ]

When was the last time you had a break? Seriously, you've been here what, since yesterday? [ He reaches out to put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. ] Maybe you should take one for a little bit.

[How could he forget that he and Tony only barely work together anymore? They did okay on the helicarrier though, which is why he's confident he can put some limits back, roll back the clock and maybe recapture what they had and oh God he sounds like an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, not a good sign.

He pauses once Tony touches him, then shoots him a quick smile, refocuses on the notebook, and gently shrugs his hand off.]

I will. Later. Don't worry.

[He takes a breath to steady himself, and pushes his glasses higher on his nose.] How's your eyesight? Still okay?

Huh? Yeah, it's fine.

[ Now that he's got it back, he's not quite as concerned about his lack of sight. Oh, he wants to prevent it from happening again, certainly, but he's more concerned now over the fact that Bruce seems... different.

Because he doesn't know any better, he interprets the somewhat ambivalent mood as exhaustion and frustration with whatever new disaster this is that's plaguing the town. ]

I get it. I'm the last person that should be giving time-out lectures, but you're all we've got and honestly, you look like you're going to pass out where you're sitting. Have you been up all night?

No, I slept.

[At Wallie's. It was close, and he thought he could trust that Wallie would keep a secret if Bruce asked. They haven't known each other long, but there's something kindred between them, with the sharing of their minds.

He risks looking up at Tony, even though he's afraid he'll betray his reluctance, his feelings, everything. Thankfully all he manages to look is nervous, unsure of himself, and uncomfortable. Maybe he can work with that.]

You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.

Yeah, I know. That's not the point.

[ What is the point? Aside from getting frustrated, and Tony doesn't really know why he's feeling the frustration. Bruce is obviously busy and he doesn't need Tony nagging at him like his own personal Pepper Potts. If he wants to help, he's going to actually have to help.

Nodding, he takes a seat on the edge of the table. Right. Time to get to work, Stark. ]

All right. So what are we working on? I've got a few hours to kill. I can help you tackle some of this. Try, anyway.

[Oh, not much. Just trying to push you away.

He gives a short sigh and stops flipping through Tony's notebook; he could fiddle more with this love sweater, but he doesn't know what he can do with it beyond stare at it and wonder if he can pull a rabbit out of it next.]

We can work on finding a way to reverse the toxin that caused the sensory loss, if you want. I still have that one top-secret thing, but... I haven't really made any headway on that.

[Researching Kenzi's arm issue is as difficult as figuring out the magical sweater.]

[ He respects top-secret projects, at least when they're done by people who aren't SHIELD, so he nods instead of pries further into it. ]

Reversing sensory deprivation toxins sounds like as good a place to start as any. You want some post-blindness blood?

[ That might be a stupid question, but Tony's area of expertise really isn't biology. ]

I don't actually know if that's useful or not. But if it is, it's all yours.

Oh. Yeah, that's a really good idea. [Bruce hops up and heads for the shelf where he keeps the materials for drawing blood. Really, Bruce should have thought of that, but Tony is probably right. He's been staring at this too long. The mention of top-secret has him remembering what Tony mentioned earlier, and he looks up from preparing the needles.]

Speaking of top-secret... You want to go into detail about that brain wave energy thing? Or is that hush-hush?

[ He brightens a little at that, having expected to hear the opposite, and starts rolling up his sleeve. Tony may not like doctors, present company excluded, but he isn't afraid of needles. ]

Not hush-hush per se. It's just...

[ Waffling for a minute with himself, he decides to go for it. ]

It's an enhancement for the suit. Which I don't have here. But the technology, well, no, the theory is the same. Sort of. I don't know. It's worth a try. I'll have to put together some notes for you, but you're welcome to go over them if you want to.

Edited 2013-01-07 04:35 (UTC)

[This is a good, valid excuse to keep Tony around. This is the balance he was hoping for, and he's trying to forget that Tony brightened.]

Messing with your brain? For the suit?

[Okay, it's easy to forget about his personal problems at that, and he frowns at Tony as he comes over with the needle.]

You sure that's a good idea? If you want a pamphlet on why it's a bad idea to experiment on yourself, I could write you one.

Worse case scenario, I turn myself into a vegetable. Best case scenario...

[ ...I'm actually a useful member of the team, instead of just some rich jerk in a metal suit. ]

Best case scenario, I make myself better. Which is what I'm aiming for. The vegetable thing's sort of at the bottom of my list of preferred outcomes.

[ He holds out his arm, elbow slightly bent, palm up. ]

[All Bruce can do is stare. For a long, drawn out few seconds, he stares hard at Tony. Then he clenches his jaw and quietly and efficiently takes his blood sample. It's only after he's done, the sample is wrapped, and he's finished throwing the needle away that he pulls his glasses off and rounds on Tony.]

Are you crazy? Tony, are you seriously talking about altering your mind? How can you be serious about this?

[ He blinks, taken aback. Sure, he recognized the stare of disapproval - he gets that so often from everybody that it's become something he expects - but he isn't expecting Bruce to be angry about it. ]

It's not that—It's just the preliminary—I haven't even done anything yet! And it's not really altering, it's just, it's making a few connections, interfacing, it's not a big deal.

[How can Tony be so blind? Bruce had been blind, and foolish, and far too caught up in what he believed was the right thing, the right project. He should've seen then that he was doing something idiotic, but he didn't, and now Tony's talking about this -- he's excited about it -- and Bruce sees himself.]

It is a big deal, Tony. "Just making a few connections, interfacing" -- you're a human being, not a computer. Why would you risk your mind, your life for this?

[Bruce is angry. He needs to watch himself, but his breathing is still even, and his hands are down at his sides; it's mostly his eyes that give away what he's holding back, and they're bright with it all.]

[ It's a strange place to be, this side of Bruce's anger. He's never been angry with him before, but Tony can see it in his eyes. In others, it might bring up the fear of the Hulk. Right now, Tony would rather deal with the Hulk; the Hulk, as far as he knows, has never been disappointed in him. ]

I'm not taking any risks! It's like at least a year's work before I can even begin to conduct actual trials, and anyway, I'm not talking about turning myself into a cyborg here or anything, Bruce. I'm just talking a tiny implant that would—That's not even the point. You're missing the point.

[ But maybe if he gets them back to the point, all of this will go away. ]

The point is figuring out a way to protect everyone here from having their minds altered by ugly moose sweaters. That's all. Protection, not alteration. A cure. No one's life would be at risk.

[Bruce knows anger, and he knows himself; he knows bottling everything up only leads to disaster, and so he has to let off steam. He has to let himself be angry with Tony now, or it'll fester. The trick is finding the key, knowing when to stop, recognizing when he's getting too angry.

As soon as Tony says "actual trials" and "implant" -- that's when he knows he needs to back up or else he'll blow up -- maybe literally. His eyes grow wide, and then he turns around, his body tense with restraint. He stalks away, head down, while he tries to pull up some calm.]

Yes. Protecting the people here is important. I trust you with that. [His voice is steady now, and low, through a great amount of effort.] But Tony, when we get out of here, if you implant anything into your mind -- conduct trials on yourself...

[He trails off. What would he do? What can he do? He isn't going to set the Hulk on him. Maybe he could destroy the lab a little... Actually, that's not half bad.]

So help me, Tony. Just don't.

[ It's when Bruce walks away that Tony realizes that he's not just displeased, he's pissed. He can see it in the tension in his back, in the way he holds himself. Most people would stop. Most people would take the hint and back off.

Tony drops down from the table and goes after him, only to hover a few feet away when he stops. ]

Technically, it wouldn't be me doing the implanting. That's up to JARVIS. I can't cut a hole in my own— [ Wincing slightly, he hurries on, thinking maybe the assurance, and the attempt at levity, won't be appreciated. ]

Never mind. Listen, it's fine, okay? It's fine. There's no harm—Let's just focus on cleaning up this sweater mess before it unravels.

[ Okay, no, he has to try another joke. ]

[No, the levity is not appreciated. He isn't sure Tony understands the problem, but then Bruce doesn't know why he's surprised. The way he views the Hulk, the way he described Bruce's accident; Bruce had the feeling then that Tony was seeing him through rose-colored glasses, but now he's wondering if they weren't a little... green. With envy, in a way.

He turns around, and he still looks dangerous, eyes flashing, and he's not smiling. At all.]

It's not fine. Don't pretend it is. Don't talk to me about experimenting on yourself and act like it's fine.

I'm talking to you because you asked!

[ Tony is, without a doubt, a terrible fighter. If he doesn't just up and walk away in the middle of it, he tries to joke about it, focuses on a trivial detail that isn't actually the problem, or misses the point altogether. It's not intentional, but it happens.

And it is happening now.

He doesn't back away from him when he round son him, but he doesn't look particularly chastened either. If anything, he's trying to be understanding. He's just understanding the wrong problem. ]

I'm not trying to insult you. Jesus, why would I do that?

[It's so not helping his anger that Tony's completely missing the point. He frowns at him, trying to see if he's doing that on purpose; he's a genius, surely he can see what's wrong here. But he seems genuine, and Bruce doesn't quite sputter, but it's close.]

I don't think you're -- You're acting like it's not a big deal to screw around with yourself.

[He lifts his eyebrows and holds his hands out.] Do you realize who you're talking to? I'm the poster-child of why that's a terrible idea.

Yeah, because there's just so much wrong with you.

[ He can't help the sarcasm. It's either that or getting angry himself, and he has enough sense, for the moment, to realize that that's a bad idea. ]

I'm not going to screw around with myself. I'm not going to change any more of who and what I am than you do by putting on your glasses every morning. They help you see, right? They don't change you. I'm not going to change myself. I'm just going to — [ Make myself better. ] — make the way the suit and I interact more efficient.

Edited 2013-01-07 22:18 (UTC)

Bullshit.

[That's exactly what Tony's spouting off is. It sounds familiar, too, very military, very like what Bruce and Betty and General Ross were spouting; very like what Sterns was saying about Bruce's blood. The only person that's worked out for is Steve.]

An implant in your brain is a little more severe than a pair of reading glasses, and if you can't see that, you're fooling yourself. Doing a bang-up job of it too. I did that once, and I lost everything, but oh, you can't see what's wrong with me.

[That's sarcastic too, right back at him. Normally he can appreciate Tony believing in him, but right now it's just aggravating, like he's erasing all of Bruce's pain, all his struggles, because he can only see... Hulk smash.]

[ That rankles more than it should and he doesn't stop to think about why. He just takes a step forward, eyes narrowing. ]

Is that what you want, Bruce? You want me to be like them? To look at you and see everything wrong because you aren't what everyone else wants you to be? Do you want me to be like them? Do you want me to be afraid? Do you want me to cringe and reach for a fucking gun every time you start to frown?

[ And now he's angry, though who he's actually angry with isn't clear to him. The world for treating Bruce like a freak. Bruce for believing it. Himself for not knowing how to fix it. ]

What do you want, Bruce? Because it obviously isn't me to be who I am, so who should I be? You tell me.

[Tony's words actually hurt because that isn't what he wants, even if before Tony he was already convinced that those people were mostly right. He's learning enough from Tony to know that he doesn't want him to be afraid or to cringe, but he can't sign onto Tony's sunny approach to Bruce's life. Maybe he isn't a monster, but he's not happy, either.]

I'd like just an ounce of realism. I don't want you to cringe or be afraid, but just -- some recognition that what happened to me wasn't...

[He trails off, clenching his jaw. None of this is actually what he was angry about, but they're things he's thought anyway.]

Stop acting like I don't have a reason to hate what happened to me -- what I did to myself. I'm never going to accept it as something good, Tony. Never.

Bruce Banner | 009 | Video

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