𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑 | Marauders x Avengers

𝐈𝐈𝐈

CALCUTTA, INDIA - NIGHT

A young girl sprints across a busy street. She runs through a crowd of people, rushing down an busy alleyway. She runs into a house and up the stairs. A woman approaches her. BRUCE BANNER, the alter ego of the Incredible Hulk, is treating the ill in the background.

CALCUTTA WOMAN: (in Hindi) Who are you? Get out! There is sickness here!

YOUNG GIRL: (very fast in Hindi) Are you the doctor? I need a doctor. My father. My father's not waking up! He has a fever and he's moaning but his eyes won't open.

Banner hears and moves over to the young girl. He kneels before her.

BANNER: (in Hindi) Slow down.

YOUNG GIRL: My father-

BANNER: Like them?

Banner points to the people in the house that are sick. The young girl nods and holds up a wad of cash.

YOUNG GIRL: Please

The girl is rushing to reach the shack but Banner, a little suspicious, grabs her -- slowing her down. A truck drives by very slow, Banner glances at it as it passes. Banner and the girl rush across the dirt road. The girl sprints into the shack and Banner follows slowly. Banner enters in time to see her escape through the window. He's been ditched and he realizes he's been set up.

BANNER: (quietly to himself) Should have got paid upfront Banner.

NATASHA: You know, for a man who's supposed to be... (Natasha and Aurora reveal themselves to Banner from behind a curtain)

AURORA: ..avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle.

BANNER: (putting his bag down) Avoiding stress isn't the secret.

AURORA: Then what is it? Yoga?

BANNER: And you brought me to the end of the city. Smart. (peeping through the window) I- uh- I assume the whole place is surrounded?

Natasha removes her scarf.

NATASHA: Just us.

BANNER: And your actress buddy? She a spy too, they start that young?

AURORA: (looking down sadly) No, we started a little younger.

BANNER: Who are you?

NATASHA: Natasha Romanoff. This is my sister, Anya.

BANNER: Are you here to kill me, Ms Romanoffs? 'Cause that's not going to work out for everyone.

NATASHA: No, no. Of course not. We're here on behalf of SHIELD.

BANNER: (a little mad) SHIELD. How'd they find me?

AURORA: We never lost you, Doctor. We've kept our distance, even helped keep some other interested parties off your scent.

BANNER: Why?

AURORA: Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now we need you to come in.

BANNER: What if I say no?

NATASHA: (seductively) I'll have to persuade you.

Aurora fake vomits behind her.

People laugh.

BANNER: And what if the- Other Guy says no?

"Other guy?" Someone asks.

"You'll see." Natasha replies.

AURORA: You've been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you want to break that streak.

Banner pushes at an old wooden cradle, it creaks.

BANNER: Well, I don't every time get what I want.

AURORA: Doctor, we're facing a potential global catastrophe.

Most wizards in the hall seem surprised. They were just muggles, how could something be that harmful?

BANNER: (chuckles) Oh those I actively try to avoid.

AURORA: This (takes a seat) is the Tesseract. (Aurora slides a cell phone along the table. On it is an
image of the Tesseract) It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet.

Banner puts on his glasses, approaches and picks up the phone.

BANNER: What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?

NATASHA: He wants you to find it. It's been taken. It emits a Gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. No one knows Gamma radiation like you do. If there was, that's where I'd be.

BANNER: So Fury isn't after the monster?

AURORA: Not that he's told me.

BANNER: And he tells you everything?

AURORA: Eh.. I'd say about but jokes apart, talk to Fury. He needs you on this.

BANNER: (immediate response) He needs me in a cage?

AURORA: No one's going to put you in a-

BANNER: STOP LYING TO ME!

Banner yells, crashing his hands down on the table. Natasha and Aurora stand, pulling a gun and aim at him. He draws back, smiling.

BANNER: I'm sorry. That was mean. (smiles) I just wanted to see what you'd do.

Aurora and Natasha stare at him, a little teary, scared out of their minds.

NATASHA: Why don't we do this the easy way where you don't use that and the- Other Guy doesn't make a mess? Okay?.

Aurora lowers her weapon and speaks into an earpiece.

AURORA: (quietly into her earpiece) Stand down. We're good here.

The horde of armed guards surrounding the shack lower their weapons.

"Woah! That's an entire army," Someone comments.

BANNER: Just us?

Aurora and Natasha realize he knows and stand silent.