The Secret Rebellion (Book 3 in The Secret Series)

Chapter 11: Moving Out

Chapter 11: Moving Out

I waited patiently for Bruce to unlock the door to their apartment building, but I couldn’t help but glance around uneasily, checking the street for any signs of unwelcome company. The building before me was unassuming, looking wholly unlikely to be harbouring Iron Man and the Hulk. None of the windows emitted any light from within, giving the dull building looming above me a gloomy look.

The door clicked suddenly, dragging my attention away from the dark street. Bruce’s gaze immediately fixed on my arm, and his expression softened from the vaguely irritated look that he’d given Tony before.

“Come in.” He held the door open.

Inside, Bruce led me to a grey staircase, and I mounted the steps tiredly, feeling suddenly exhausted.

“What happened to your arm?” Banner asked as we walked.

I grimaced. “A Frost Giant broke it.”

He looked startled for a moment, before quickly regaining his composure.

“So that’s why Tony called his suit. Good. I was hoping that he’d have a decent excuse for waking me up at this time – I had to open the window so his suit could fly out. At least it didn’t break the window; like last time.”

When we reached the apartment, Bruce opened the door to reveal a modest room. It looked lived-in … meaning that it was fairly untidy. The furniture was nondescript, but the bland colour scheme of the room served to give a strangely homely vibe. However, the room was a far cry from the average home, as the far wall was completely covered by a multitude of flat-screens, all linked together to form one huge screen. Advanced, modified computers were hooked up to the giant screen, which reminded me of the impressive technology that S.H.I.E.L.D. used, usually without a second thought.

My attention was snapped away from the tech as I felt light fingers on my arm. Bruce was examining my injury, a look of calm collectedness that ordinary doctors excelled at. 

“I’m not a doctor of medicine,” Bruce answered my unspoken question with a slight smile, “But I have enough experience to know that it’s likely that the bone’s broken. Hmm. You’ll need a splint to keep the bone straight. Thank God we’ve got bandages. I’ll be right back.”

He left the room to search for bandages and something worthy to use as a make-shift splint. Tony entered from another room at this point, still wearing his suit, and was carrying three filled cardboard boxes stacked on top of each other.

“You look surprisingly prepared,” I commented, surprised, as he dumped the boxes unceremoniously by the front door. There was a metallic clang as the contents of the boxes impacted with the floor, and I winced automatically, though Tony didn’t seem concerned about the possibility of breaking whatever was in the boxes.

“We guessed that something like this would happen, so we’ve been ready to leave at short notice since we first moved in.”

I took a step forward, offering to help, but Tony waved me away with a smile.

“I’ve got this. Just keep a look out for Steve and his girlfriend.”

Obediently, I stood by the large window, pulling the curtains back and gazing out at the street below.

Bruce returned, wielding a wooden stick and some bandages. Tony began to talk to the screens on the wall, while Banner sorted my arm out. As he tended to my arm, I focused on Tony and tried to stop wincing in pain with each jarring movement.

“JARVIS, did you complete the scan?” he asked, and the composed voice of JARVIS promptly replied, startling me.

“Yes, sir.”