Bruce Banner (wontlikemeangry) wrote in crownplazaic, @ 2020-08-28 09:44:00 |
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A few days after their mysterious arrival here and no one was any closer to figuring out exactly where here was or how they’d gotten here or why they were here. There had to be a reason and Bruce wished he had access to his lab so he could run tests on anything to see if he could figure out what was going on. Since he didn’t, he was having to find other ways to occupy his time. One thing he’d found himself doing fairly regularly was cooking. There were several dozen people here and quite a few of them seemed to lack that skill. It was something he enjoyed doing and he didn’t mind making quantities enough for a crowd. He was in the kitchen, humming to himself as he chopped potatoes, when he heard soft footfalls behind him and turned to see who it was, knife still in hand. “Hill,” he said, greeting the agent with a small smile before turning back to his potatoes. *** Maria smirked when she saw the knife. “Seriously? Hulk stab?” She walked over to get nosy about what he was cooking. She’d been pretty restless since they arrived. She was unarmed. Not that she was vulnerable by any stretch of the imagination, but she didn’t like being without at least one weapon. So she wandered around, counting heads, taking note of the people she saw, what if anything they could do. “I didn’t know you could cook,” she said as she sat down at a nearby stool. *** Bruce was making a simple potato curry that was easy to make in a large quantity and he had all of the ingredients set out on the counter next to him, having checked to make sure he had everything he needed before starting. It was a little unsettling how the kitchen seemed to be stocked with anything he could think of. “I’m a man of many talents,” he remarked with a grin. Despite being trapped in a haunted hotel with dozens of strangers, he was feeling fairly relaxed. Sure, he expected that something would happen, probably sooner rather than later, but for now, things were calm and he was going to appreciate it. *** “Congratulations,” she said as she leaned on the counter so she could watch. “You managed to get something left out of your SHIELD file.” It wasn’t a priority which would be why Nick left it out. “Smells spicy,” Maria commented, but that was the end of her interest in cooking. “What do you make of all this? People just keep coming, and most of them I don’t recognize.” *** “It’s got a kick,” Bruce said. He was dialing down the spice levels from his personal preferences since he was preparing it for a large group. He looked up from his potatoes and shrugged. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “It seems like the kind of thing where Strange would be useful and of course he hasn’t made an appearance yet.” Alternate dimensions were his thing. Bruce understood the concepts of multiverse theory and it was pretty clear to him this was an example of it. That didn’t mean he had a clue how it worked or why they were here. *** “There’s a lot of people I could think of who would be good to have in this situation.” Strange. Carol. Pick and Guardian. Hell, even Stark would be a welcome addition. He was the one who figured out the time stream after all. “So far nothing bad has happened, other than being stuck here.” When she thought Bruce wasn’t looking she reached out to scoop a bit of sauce with a finger to try. *** So far was the key. Bruce fully expected something bad to happen. It was obvious this wasn’t meant to be a nice vacation or anything. He spotted her reaching for the sauce and smacked her hand away. “Wash your hands or use a spoon,” he said. Under any other circumstances, he would have found Hill too intimidating to order around, but the kitchen was almost as comfortable for him as the lab and cooking was really just another kind of science.” “It seems as if more people keep arriving,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky.” If Natasha could be here, maybe Tony could show up too. *** Maria yanked her hand back with a surprised look on her face. Surprise turned to amusement as she slid off the stool. “Yes, sir.” She smirked as she made her way to the closest sink to wash her hands, but she’d grab a spoon for good measure. “We have a good assortment,” she said. “We should get to know some of the others. Find out what they bring to the table.” That’s Hill. Her mind working in the mode of tactics. Anything else was too...vulnerable. *** Bruce wasn’t surprised that she was thinking tactically. It was likely Steve was as well and he thought it would be interesting to see if the two of them worked well together or clashed. “Can’t hurt to get a sense of what skills folks have,” he agreed. “I haven’t managed to find any sort of medical equipment other than the first aid kit in our rooms.” That made him nervous because if anyone was seriously injured, there would only be so much he could do. “Have you talked to Steve yet? Wouldn’t be surprised if you two are on the same page.” *** “I met with him.” Of course she had. Truth? She had cornered our good Captain America. They’d had a good rapport after the events at the Triskelion. They weren’t going to pick out drapes but they did exchange Christmas cards. Still, he hadn’t appreciated her coming out of nowhere to push him into conversation. Fortunately, he had agreed with most of what she had to say, and he had some ideas of his own. “He’s a little freaked out by Romanoff being here.” Maria also didn’t mind tattling on Steve. “I don’t think he’s seen her yet. He didn’t say as much, but he’s easy to read if you know what to look for.” *** “It freaked me out a little to see her,” Bruce admitted. He was glad, of course, and the guilt he felt about not being able to bring her back with the stones had resurfaced with a vengeance, but if anyone deserved a second chance, it was Natasha. Sometimes he wondered how things would have been different if she hadn’t shoved him off that cliff in Sokovia, if the Other Guy hadn’t run off to Sakaar. He didn’t let those thoughts linger for long though. They were friends and teammates. He figured that Steve was probably also feeling a tremendous amount of guilt over Natasha’s death since he’d greenlit the time heist. None of them could have foreseen that a sacrifice would be necessary to obtain the soul stone though. “But, good. I figure you two can handle whatever organizational things need to be handled. If you need me for science, let me know.” *** Maria had no doubt in her mind that Banner had been shocked. The personality section of his and Romanoff’s files suggested a potential connection that went past friendship and teammates. Maria had bet against it based on what she knew of Bruce. Natasha could be relentless when it came to something she wanted, but Banner was far more stubborn than anyone gave him credit for. “Rogers makes a good point lead. Better than I do.” She was better at following and enacting orders. She could lead a team, sure. But her strengths were more in the field than executive. *** Finally finished chopping potatoes, Bruce added them to the sauce that had been simmering on the stove in a large skillet, stirring it all together. “Definitely could have used you during the Snap,” he admitted. “Nat ran herself ragged trying to keep things under control.” He also felt a certain amount of guilt for that since he hadn’t really stepped up to help her much anymore than anyone else had. *** “I would have been glad to do anything during the Snap.” She didn’t like to think about that time. There wasn’t anything that she remembered about being dust, but ceasing to exist had not been a pleasant experience. When she dipped the bottom of the spoon into the sauce for a taste a keen observer would note a slight shake to her hand. Not a lot rattled Maria Hill, but that had been one of the few things that had. “Gotta say,” she said after clearing her throat. “Really glad you guys figured all that out.” *** Bruce glanced over to see her response to the sauce. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too spicy. He was used to making things authentic, but when cooking for so many unknown people, that didn’t seem safe. “So am I,” he said. “It was unsettling to know how many people were gone.” Especially since he felt like they’d failed to protect those people. *** Maria got a surprised but pleased look on her face. “I had this in New Delhi when I was there. Good job, doc.” She smirked, tempted to get some more, but if she got her hand swatted for the finger thing she didn’t want to think about what he’d do if she tried to double dip. “You keep this up and you’ll get to know people better than I ever could.” Maria knew she wasn’t an easy person to get to know. She’d gone to extremes to make it that way. There was only one person who knew anything close to the reason for it, and he wasn’t here. *** “I learned some useful skills when I was on the run,” Bruce said. He assumed that she was well aware of his travels since SHIELD had apparently been keeping track of his movements despite his best efforts to stay under the radar. “When people want to compensate you for your services and have nothing to give, you end up with some creative payments.” Like cooking lessons. He shrugged at her assumption that he’d get to know people better than she would though. “I don’t know. I think people will appreciate the food, but it still doesn’t make me good at small talk.” *** “You don’t have to be, doc.” Maria smirked. “Most people are pretty capable of engaging in conversation. Judging by what I saw on the network we have as many busy bodies here as we did back home.” It was as if no one had anything better to do than to ask nosy questions and butt into other people’s business. But when you lived a life that could end at any moment, personal boundaries seemed superfluous. *** Some of those busy bodies were even from home it seemed, though Bruce decided against commenting on that. “It seems like there is a rather wide variety of people here,” he agreed. “I wonder what reason we were all chosen.” And who or what had done the choosing. “It’s nice to have some familiar faces though,” he said, including her in that. They hadn’t known each other well, but he knew she was competent and that was important. *** “I don’t have enough data on the residents to connect dots, but I’m working on it.” Agent Hill was back in the kitchen. She even sat up straighter on the stool as if she were at a console. “I have alerts set up on my phone to let me know about new arrivals, and keywords. I’ve started making notes of who is here from where and how many from each reality. So far...no pattern.” Maria even sounded more confident. In contrast to the conversation just five minutes ago it was apparent that this was what she was more comfortable with. Work. Social? Not so much. *** Bruce chuckled. He may not know Maria well, but this didn’t surprise him one bit. After all, she was Fury’s right hand for a reason. “I’m assuming you’ve discussed this with Natasha,” he said. “I’m fairly certain she’s doing something similar.” Neither woman seemed able to let go of their training, which he supposed he could understand to a degree. After all, his primary concern was ensuring they had adequate medical supplies in case of an emergency. *** Honestly? Maria hadn’t spoken with Romanoff about what she’d been doing. They probably should coordinate and consolidate their data. Maria made a mental note to reach out to Romanoff. “I’m wondering if those of us from home should have a meeting.” *** “Couldn’t hurt,” Bruce said. “Though maybe we call it a get together instead of a meeting.” It sounded less official that way and more likely that people would actually show up. “Maybe over lunch or something.” He’d be happy to provide that. *** Maria blinked at Bruce as if he just told her that the sun rose in the west. “A strategy meeting called a get together?” Her brows came down. “This isn’t high tea, Banner. We need to figure out how to get back, and if not that then what’s going on here and how to prepare for whatever more might happen.” When did Bruce Banner turn into Martha Stewart? *** It was clear to Bruce that he was fighting a losing battle when it came to getting Hill or Natasha to stop thinking of this as some kind of mission. That didn’t mean he was going to stop trying. “I’m just saying that you’ll probably get more buy in from everyone if you don’t make it sound like work,” he explained. Because while he agreed with her that they needed to have some plans in place, he was more skeptical that they would be able to find a way back. He also had a feeling that they couldn’t really prepare for whatever this place might throw at them. *** But it was work. It was what they did. It didn’t matter where they were, it was their job to do these things, figure things out. So Bruce just got a blank stare from Maria as if he’d suggested that she retire. She was at least aware that this was a subject she wasn’t going to win so she stopped arguing about it. “I’ll throw something up on the net when it feels necessary.” *** Bruce nodded. “I’ll be there whenever,” he said. After a few more adjustments, he put the lid on the pot and set a timer on his phone. “This needs to simmer for a while,” he said. “I’m going to peruse the library and see if I can find something to read. Care to join me?” *** “Sure,” Maria said then slid off the stool. You could tell a lot about a place by its library. Looking through the shelves was a good idea. “I hope you know where it is because I don’t.” Maria chuckled as she admitted that. “This place is a labyrinth.” *** |