章 9: chapter 9
Bruce stared at the man in confusion, then down at his outstretched hand. When he didn't drop it after a few moments, he sighed and quickly shook it. "What do you want?"
"So hasty, that's not at all a good trait to have, you know..." Harry said, smiling. "Well, I suppose it depends on who you ask. I've always been a fan of high speeds myself."
"What are you doing here?" Bruce asked again. The bespectacled man opposite him ran a hand through his hair and shrugged nonchalantly. Bruce didn't know what to make of him; he certainly wasn't a government agent, not without even a gun on him, and the casual attitude didn't exactly scream bounty-hunter either.
"As I said, I came to speak to you," Harry admitted, glancing around. "Though I appreciate the ambiance, perhaps it would be more suitable to find a more enclosed space to speak? You never know who might be listening out here." He tapped his ear and smiled. "Watching too, I suppose."
Bruce grumbled, sizing up the new arrival. Short and fairly lean, Harry didn't seem particularly remarkable; he had a vague British accent of some sort or another and a faint scar peeking through his hair which looked rather windswept. He definitely didn't seem like much of a threat. Bruce forced himself to relax, his heart rate slowly dropping to normal levels.
It took about fifteen minutes for the pair to trudge over to the little hovel Bruce had constructed out here to take an occasional nap; he dropped the few supplies he'd taken with him inside, glancing at Harry who stood impassively by the camp's side, looking mildly intrigued at the small microscope that he'd set up in the back corner, which could be lighted with a small solar mirror.
Harry hadn't said a word the whole way to the camp; Bruce hadn't tried to start a conversation and was still rather uncomfortable with the man's presence, wondering if he should ask this new guest once more what exactly he was doing here, or how he was even aware of this location. He doubted he'd get any answers. Glancing back at him Bruce noticed that the man was interestedly looking at all his belongings, including the sizable collection of flora samples.
"You're researching local plant life?" Harry asked as he studied the collection with a critical eye, gently brushing over the petals of some of the flowers. "I know a thing or two about these things, you know – studied the topic, once upon a time, if never very deeply." He glanced up. "I didn't know you could find daisies out here in the wilderness."
Bruce frowned in annoyance as he studied Harry. "There are over twenty-thousand species of Daisy worldwide; just about the only place you can't find them is space. Are you sure you know what you're looking at?"
Harry ignored the question, rifling through the remainder of the samples. "Huh, you have some Black Hellebore here – you can make some good concoctions with that..." Humming softly under his breath he quickly sorted through the rest. "Quite a nice assortment, I'm sure my friend Neville's would've enjoyed looking over them. I take it you were gathering Brazilian rosewood, earlier? Didn't think it grew this far south..."
"You actually do know your plants," Bruce observed, perplexed. "I'm mildly impressed. Now, seriously, what are you doing here? Don't ignore the question again. What were you thinking, sneaking up on me, out there? If you knew where to look for me, you must know that I'm a target."
"Eh, S.H.I.E.L.D. already knows you're here, I wouldn't worry too much," Harry said lightly. Bruce turned to him, eyes widening.
"What did you say?"
"You're serious, aren't you?" Fury wondered with some amazement as he shook his head and groaned. "Just when I thought things were about as bad as they could get... What the hell is this guy thinking?"
"I don't know, sir." Agent Coulson smiled. "Looks like I came back just in time to catch the latest interesting stuff, didn't I? I swear, trying to get an appointment with Mr. Stark is like trying to hit the moon with a bottle-rocket, I'd much rather keep an eye on teleporting thieves."
Fury rolled his eye. "Interesting pastimes aside – we have one rather slippery fellow paying a visit to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s number one unmanageable problem. With Banner there, we're looking at something that we've got no handle on." Fury frowned. "With the way these extraordinary people keep popping up, we're bound to see more situations like this. I must contact the World Security Council as soon as this is dealt with."
"Do we know for certain that Banner and Harry are working together?" Coulson wondered, studying the file he'd been reading intently. "There's no known contact between them, and we have a pretty close timeline and log on what the former was doing over the last few years. He did vanish a few times, but I doubt we'd only see him by coincidence when he was all alone."
"Well, if they're not working together, that'd mean this Harry is even crazier than I thought: not just breaking in here, but intentionally seeking out that guy." He turned to Coulson. "Go check downstairs. I want information the instant they find out anything about Harry's capabilities, or how to stop that trick of his."
Coulson nodded, quickly striding off, while Fury turned back and stared at his screen filled with pictures of both Harry and Banner and an aerial shot that showed the two of them near some sort of camp out in the wilderness. With a start Fury realized he had no idea whether or not Harry was more or less dangerous. He was not as unstable, perhaps, but quite capable of sneaking into a Helicarrier and pilfer things from the director of the facility. Banner would tear the place apart instead; either way, they'd have no easy way of stopping either, it seemed.
Grabbing his new phone, Fury quickly typed in a message to Agent Romanoff. Her team would be going into a considerably dangerous area with another known threat. Fury frowned as he thought about the place Harry had fled to: right towards one of the only people that S.H.I.E.L.D. would not willingly assault, knowing that it'd be a losing battle. Even the full might of the military could probably only slow him down, if he got really angry.
Harry might be setting up a trap, Fury considered, but anyone would realize that would be their opponent's first thought, and he was sure nobody would telegraph setting a trap quite so blatantly. No, it was more likely that Harry was using the greater threat that Banner posed to insulate himself from direct attacks. He was hiding in plain sight, knowing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would not be stupid enough to try and take him with someone like Banner right there, though he thought wrongly. He could've vanished as the Nano-probes had finally stopped transmitting, but he left the stolen phone turned on to let his pursuers know where he was. To show them that they couldn't touch him.
"Either you're completely nuts, or you've got an ego the size of the Rose Bowl," Fury muttered, staring at the screen. "I guess we'll find out which."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. knows you're here," Harry repeated slowly." They've been tracking you for a while. They're not in any hurry to get you, though. I figure they're more interested in making sure you're out of their way." He looked at Bruce, intrigued. "Why is it that they're after you, anyway?"
Bruce turned away. "If they know I'm here, then the others might know, and they'll come after me." He shook his head, wiping hair out of his eyes. "I appreciate the warning, even if that clearly isn't what you came here for. Now – can you let me in peace? I don't want to be responsible for – problems."
Harry sighed, squatting. "Well, you see: there is a problem. I didn't come to find you because I thought it'd be a halfway interesting thing to do. Well, I admit I do rather like the surroundings, but I really came to ask for a little help from one of the only people S.H.I.E.L.D. seems hesitant to attack."
Bruce narrowed his eyes. "They're after you, too."
Harry nodded, idly listening to Fury talking to a scientist; the great distance didn't actually diminish the volume of what he was hearing, but it would probably not do the spell's duration any good. Still, on a solid object it could hold for months. "At first, I think they were just intrigued by me, and I let it go. By the time I got to America, things got a little more intense though. They started sending people after me that kept a weapon pointed at me constantly, tried to put tracking devices on me. They succeeded, too." He scratched his chin, looking at Bruce over his glasses. "Then I did something that was rather… stupid of me, in retrospect." He looked rather embarrassed. "I sort of broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and made off with some information while I was figuring out their game."
Banner blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting, but … what does this have to do with me?"
"Well, the information I took…" Harry reached into his pocket and dangled Fury's phone before him. "It included your last known location, and that was only a mile or two from here. It wasn't very difficult from there. I already knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was after you, and my arrival hasn't given them any new information, but by now they'll know we're here together."
"You think they will leave you alone just because I'm around?" Bruce snapped, his wristwatch giving a beep. He breathed out slowly, frowning. "I think you'd be better off with them than you are here. I – there's a reason that they might be hesitant to be near me. Heck, I'd rather not be near me, if that was an option. I have a darkness in me, that you wouldn't want to meet. I'm not like other people. I think… you'd better go."
Harry just sat there for a while, poking at the ground with a stick. He knew all about having darkness within him – between his former ability to speak Parseltongue, supposedly 'dark magic', and Voldemort's connection and even possession, he couldn't help but shiver. Of course, there was nothing in particular wrong about such things; he'd used dark magic before while an Auror, and he was disturbingly good at some of the spells. He knew how pernicious they could be, though. He didn't use dark magic without a very good reason, and there hadn't been any in years, thankfully, but he did do it when things got tough. It was always a little harder to resist using them, the next time: darker spells tended to be the easy solution, if not the right one, as Professor Dumbledore would've put it.
"Dr. Banner... having a darker side or being unusual is hardly something new to me." He sighed. "I've known people who have fought their entire life against the nastier sides of themselves, and you don't strike me as someone who relishes in that sort of thing. I might not know specifics, but I think I can speak from experience, here." He smiled. "For many years, due to events beyond my control, I've been singled out, forced to do things I didn't want to do, even. It took me years to cleanse what was responsible for all that, and I still forget that it's gone, sometimes. I think everyone's got something like that."
Bruce looked at him sadly. "Not like mine, I think. Not the kind where you take yourself apart from everyone else for their safety."
"What, you don't think I know what it's like to go into voluntary exile?" Harry asked, laughing softly. "I've done that for years now. I locked myself up and threw away the key, in a way. I had to break down the door before I could even think about starting a new life. It's only been a few months, and I still feel as I'm in exile… it's just that this time, the door doesn't seem to be locked." He shook his head. "Regardless, before I can get back to that I'd appreciate your assistance with S.H.I.E.L.D. I might be able to help you with a few other things after that, in recompense. I have a... well, I suppose he's a friend. Well, acquaintance, really. But I did save his life."
"I think you would count as a friend, at that point," Bruce pointed out dryly.
"He's – an odd fellow. Really sarcastic, has a knack for being rude. I don't know what he'd call it." Harry shrugged. "I figure you're like me: you want to stay out of the public eye, if perhaps for different reasons. Maybe we're similar in other ways, too. I do wonder. If you really want to be alone, I'd be a hypocrite if I resented such a thing."
"You speak like you know things, but then you say things that show you don't," Bruce noted after a while. "This S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff: when it's over, will you leave me be? I'll move elsewhere, far away; you wouldn't be able to find me again. I've vanished before, I can do it again. You go to your exile, I to mine."
"Ah, doctor," Harry said, smiling. "After this is over, we'll figure something out. Until then it's better to live a little, don't you think? Here, I have sandwiches; those have to be better than these unsightly looking fruits of yours. Yech."
"Barton, what's our ETA?"
"Thirty minutes," Barton answered loudly over the sound of the helicopter, glancing at Natasha, who sat beside him, flanked on the other side by two other agents. "Do you have your ammo?"
"Fifty-two rounds of the sandman," Natasha confirmed. "Morpheus rounds. They should put him out like a light. I don't like this latest info about our target, though. It seems like we'll be dealing with Banner too. With the way the Director talks about him, we'd better be on our toes, or he'll stomp them right off. Let's hope he won't interfere with this and we can all head home."
"These rounds will work on him too, you know." A third Agent commented. He tapped his gun and smiled. "They should work on damn near anything. If Banner's being a pest, well…"
"No heroics, Santana. We take the target, no more," Barton warned, gazing at his full quiver of prepared arrows. "Hunting Banner has no priority right now. Director's orders. We should keep any aggression to a minimum here, to avoid... well, a mess. Let's keep it at that."
"Understood," Santana answered morosely, sighing deeply. "Man, it's been three months since I've even been off the carrier. I figured I'd get more than a snatch 'n grab." He looked down at his gun. "I suppose it beats yet another cleaning assignment, though. Eh, Parkers?" The man beside him shrugged, gazing outside in silence.
Natasha leaned back in her chair, looking at her phone with a frown. "Harry's taken a mobile phone, apparently. Well, a really advanced one, I suppose. You don't think it's actually his that was taken, Clint?" She smiled. "I bet it is. That note being so personal really betrays it."
"I suppose Harry was mocking the Director. Beating the best technology has to offer and then leaving a message on parchment? I suppose he think he's a comedian." Barton flipped open his own phone. "Constant Vigilance? Well, I guess we'll find out if he sticks to his own words. I do wonder if he worked alone to do that little carrier heist?"
"Interrogation can ask those kinds of questions," Santana pointed out. "We've got, what, twenty minutes until we reach their position? I'd say lock and load and find a good spot to take the shot."
"You're still here?" Bruce wondered as Harry sauntered closer, dropping down at the stream's edge and dabbing his hand in the clear water.
"You haven't sent me away yet," Harry responded lightly. "I admit I do like the environment here. Nice and warm, wonderful plant-life, there's even someone to have a half-decent conversation with." He smirked. "Perhaps at some point, you can tell me what you're struggling with."
Bruce scowled. "I'd rather not."
"Eh, I have a trustworthy face, you'll cave eventually." Harry smiled, dropping onto his back. "You know – I really missed this kind of thing, back in my old life. I couldn't just head to South America on a whim, people would've dragged me back by the dozens before the week was out, and I'd get into all sorts of trouble. Now, well, things are different. Heck, you don't even recognize me, and Tony wasn't any different. There's nobody that comes along and forces me back into what I'm supposed to do. It's wonderful!"
"Tony?"
"Stark," Harry answered. "He's a nice fellow - I sort of saved his life, he figures. He's the friend I mentioned. Well, sort-of-friend. We tolerate each other."
"Tony Stark?" Bruce wondered, staring. "Billionaire weapons-dealer Tony Stark of Stark Industries?"
"Yeah, that's the one," Harry responded casually. "I found him while I was on vacation. Well, sort of. After that, things got out of my control. He wanted to give me a ride to America as payment, and then he put my face on the news against my wishes. We still disagree on that one. In any case, this beats Afghanistan."
Bruce looked at the man in bewilderment. "You're pretty strange, you know."
"Strange? I suppose. Hasn't bothered me any." Harry stretched and sighed deeply. "I came here for a semblance of a normal life – or so I thought. I've only been here for a short while, an already I'm entangled with billionaires and spy agencies. I don't think having a normal life is something I'm very good at." He shook his head tiredly. "I'll figure out what I'm looking for in time. It's an 'I will know it when I see it' kind of thing, I guess."
"On a journey of self-discovery?" Bruce asked. "I don't think you'll find it with me."
Harry didn't answer, staring up at the clouds. "You know, you're taking the fact that a random person dropped in on you awfully well, especially for a paranoid bloke."
"I suppose finding someone who knows about me and doesn't want to capture or kill me is fairly new ground," Bruce retorted dryly. "I take it you have your own... quirks that has S.H.I.E.L.D. after your hide. You keep your secrets, I'll keep mine."
Harry sighed. "Well, here's one 'secret' that I think you ought to know: I can be an inconsiderate prick at times. My time in law enforcement was interesting, but I ended up putting goals before people and I quit after I realized I was turning into someone I couldn't get along with. I admit that's one of the motives why I came here today, too. Sorry."
"What…?"
"The S.H.I.E.L.D. matter. I figured your presence would be enough to keep them from attacking me, but I hadn't really considered that it might bring more attention to you, or that you might have to leave. It was rather selfish." He shook his head. "I've been living a rather care-free life, of late. I haven't really thought much about how I'm impacting people, I admit. Didn't think it mattered. I suppose talking to you made me realize that I get that sort of stuff wrong, too."
Bruce didn't say anything to that for a while.
"You can resent me, you know; I deserve it."
Bruce glanced at Harry. "No, it's alright. I suppose I'd be a hypocrite if I told you off for trying to avoid S.H.I.E.L.D. Just... don't do it again, please."
Harry smirked and wanted to answer when he suddenly perked up and raised a hand to his ear as Fury suddenly spoke up loudly. His eyes went wide as he looked in the distance with a start. "Already? How did they…?" His gaze snapped to Bruce. "Hide, now!"
Bruce managed to cover his head and drop down to the ground an instant before several projectiles buried themselves into the ground where he'd just been with dull thuds; Harry had moved aside as quickly as he could, covering behind a tree as it was pelted with projectiles.
"You missed?" Barton wondered as he glanced at Parkers, who shrugged apologetically, reloading his long-range gun. He scowled in the direction of the target. "He can't have seen us at this range."
"He didn't: he put a hand to his ear just before he ducked. Someone warned him. He's got to have another accomplice," Natasha concluded, raising her gun. "What I'm wondering is why he's still there, not halfway to Ecuador."
"Director, the target was warned about our attack," Barton said, tapping his radio. "He's still in the area. I can just barely see him peeking out from behind a tree he's using as shelter. No idea where Banner is, but probably close."
"Approach carefully, there's no need for anyone to get hurt. If you get a clear shot, take it. We'll sort the rest out here."
"Understood, sir. Tranquilizer rounds are loaded." Barton waved forward, glancing at Natasha. Santana and Parkers closed out the procession, both keeping an eye on the trees, looking for the one who had sent the warning. "We're going in."
Approaching the tree Harry was hiding behind, Barton was uncertain how to go about it. Harry seemed to have remained in the same position, but it could simply be a diversion so he moved slowly sideways, his bow at the ready.
"Stop where you are!" Harry yelled and Barton froze, mere feet from having a clear shot.
"Surrender, and you won't be hurt," Barton yelled. "We're with S.H.I.E.L.D. You have taken confidential information and infiltrated secure facilities! Give up and you won't be hurt."
Harry laughed and Barton felt a chill run down his back at the sound; he raised his bow. Harry's voice rang out again: "I think spying on innocent people and firing at them unprovoked is also illegal, isn't it? Regardless – I don't think it's very smart to come any closer. I'm not alone."
"We'll take Banner out too if we need to, thief," Santana snarled, his gun at the ready.
Harry didn't answer for a few moments, then sighed. "You know, submitting to hostage-takers isn't really something for me. I have problems with such people. Let him go – let Banner go. I hadn't anticipated your arrival so quickly - he's not a part of this. Shooting us isn't going to help any. We can discuss this like civil people."
"The only reason you're still here, Harry, is because of Banner," Natasha smoothly interjected. "I know you - you're afraid we might do something to your – friend. Stand down."
"Hello, Natasha – I wish our reunion was under friendlier circumstances." Harry said casually. "When we're done here, I suppose I can take you out for a drink." He laughed as she scoffed. "Right now, though - if S.H.I.E.L.D.'s crazy enough to come after me while I'm with Dr. Banner – yes, I'm definitely afraid of what you might do to him. Let him go. We can discuss terms, if you really want to. Oh, Agent Barton – don't move."
Barton froze mid-step, wondering how the man knew his name, still scowling at Harry's casual mention of them being hostage-takers. "If you give yourself up, we'll let him leave," he said.
Harry sighed miserably. "You know, shooting at me isn't really a way to get in my good graces. You're glad I know you're not actually out to kill me." He paused. "Fine, I'll come – I wanted to talk to Fury anyway. Just… don't shoot me, alright? It'd be a bother. I guess the Director sent you in his stead. Not quite what I was hoping for, honestly."
"Walk out with your hands up – then Banner can leave."
Harry slowly rose from his position, frowning. He hadn't really intended things to go like this, and his ideas constantly failing was beginning to annoy him. Banner had dropped to the ground and was gasping for breath, his wristwatch beeping loudly, while at least four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were holed up nearby. They were after him, not Banner. He'd rather not be responsible for them capturing him. Said man was looking decidedly unresponsive right now.
He'd been tempted to just blast the agents off their feet and obliviate them, but it'd be a decidedly unfriendly thing to do, and Fury was pissed off enough without him knowing that Harry could manipulate minds. It was lucky that Barton had decided to check in with the man at the last moment before attacking – they'd have blindsided him outright if not for that. Fury was a lot cleverer than he'd anticipated and had figured out Harry might've bugged the carrier, but he couldn't have anticipated listening spells on his person which couldn't be easily gotten rid of. Perhaps it was about time he came to an accord, before things got even crazier.
"I'm coming out."
Harry had put his wand in his sleeve, just in case. He'd have to be ridiculously quick to stop actual bullets, but it seemed that what was being shot were little darts that probably moved a lot slower, the tranquilizer shots that Barton had just mentioned to Fury. He silently placed an Impervius Charm on his clothes, hoping dearly that the agents wouldn't elect to shoot him in the face. As long as he kept his wand hidden with a Muggle Repelling Charm, he could probably keep S.H.I.E.L.D. off his back if necessary. He glanced back at Banner who had worked his way to his feet, his wristwatch still beeping. The man nodded to Harry, looking rather apologetic and ragged, breathing heavily. Barton and the others were still pointing their weapons at him, and Harry sighed. "Just let him go, I've done what you asked."
"Go." Barton barked. "Banner, you're free to leave."
"I'm sorry," Bruce said softly to Harry, who nodded.
"It's alright – I hadn't foreseen them being this quick." Harry responded, turning to Barton slowly. "Leave. I should never have brought you into this."
Bruce gave another quick nod and went to leave, nursing his wrist where his wristwatch was beeping loudly. He stumbled slightly as he worked his way out of the ditch, catching his breath.
"That beeping - is that...?" Santana wondered, narrowing his eyes as Bruce stomped some distance away, hand clutching at his chest. "Damn, I think he's going to change! We have to do something!"
"Stand down!" Barton barked. "Let him go."
Bruce glanced back then, his eyes gleaming with a green glow - Santana jerked away with a gasp and a small dart smacked into the back of Bruce's shoulder. He slumped to the ground with a cry. Barton and Natasha's gazes snapped towards Santana, who had his gun still raised, trembling. "Gotcha, freak." Harry ducked back behind his tree, wand in hand.
"You complete idiot, he was leaving - he was safe!" Barton barked, freezing as a strangled cry resounded from behind him – a cry that changed pitch mid-way through to be much, much lower. He looked over with trepidation: Bruce was down in the stream, writhing in pain. Barton paled. "Oh – Santana, you dumbass! Run. Everyone, get back to the chopper!"
"Who are you, Schwarzenegger?" Santana asked, his forced smile faltering as a monstrous roar resounded through the forest, cutting him off. "Oh."
Harry stared in horrified fascination at Banner, his pursuers forgotten as he took in what he was seeing. He'd been here for months now and he'd seen some mighty strange things, like semi-magical arc reactors and flying aircraft carriers – but this beat all. Dr. Banner, someone Harry had definitely been sure was a Muggle - was changing into something else. Harry was eerily reminded of the time he'd seen Remus transform into his lupine form, back in his third year at Hogwarts.
Banner's cry still echoed among the trees as the four S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gave up their attempt to catch Harry, moving away at a quick pace. Banner writhed on the ground, his skin turning greenish as his muscles bulged and clothes shredded to pieces. One of his suddenly huge arms shot out and grasped the ground as he lifted himself up, vicious glowing green eyes standing out clearly.
Harry backed away as Bruce – the thing that used to be him - got to his feet, aggressive snarl on his contorted face as he raised himself to his full nine feet height and roared at the sky in mindless rage.
Then the creature noticed the fleeing agents - and Harry.
"… Crap."
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