Bird Set Free | Natasha Romanoff ✓

Chapter Fifty

"I'm so confused." 

Aquila Cadman was sat in a diner back in New York, Natasha's arm slung across her shoulders as they all looked confused at the large man shoveling food into his face in front of them. 

It was Bruce Banner without a shadow of a doubt just not the Banner they were used to seeing. In the last five years, he had changed drastically. Although Aquila had never doubted Bruce's ability to do such a thing but this was not what they were expected. Bruce had found a way to merge his body and the Hulk into one body.

"These are confusing times."

"That's not what I meant-"

"No, I get it. I'm kidding! I know. It's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now!"

Aquila rolled her eyes, relaxing into Natasha's chest as she squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. This was their last option, after this, what were they supposed to do?

"Five years ago, we got our asses beaten. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost. Then, we all lost. For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me. Best of both worlds. . ."

Their conversation was soon interrupted as a group of children walked up to the table, their smiles bright as they handed their phone to Bruce for a picture. Scott ended up taking the phone from Bruce who raised it up in order to take the photo.

"Say 'GREEN'!"

"Green!"

"Do you guys want to grab a picture with me?" Scott asked the children. "I'm Ant-Man. But they're Hulk fans, they don't know Ant-Man. Nobody does."

"Wait, no, no, he feels bad. No, he wants you to. . . he wants to." Bruce said quickly, trying to fix the situation. "You want to take a picture with him, right?"

The only response was one of the boys shaking his head vigorously. Aquila turned around to face into Natasha's shoulder as she tried to hide her slightly annoyed chuckle. 

"He's even saying no he doesn't. I get it. I don't want it either. I don't want a picture with them."

"He's gonna feel bad."

"I don't want it anymore."

"Alright, I've had enough," Aquila muttered under her breath, grabbing the phone from Scott and passing it to the kids. "Have a good day."

"Thank you, Mr. Hulk."

"Bruce!"

"No, it's great kids. Thank you very much. Hulk out!"

"Bruce!" Steve called out again, trying to get Bruce's attention.

"Right," Bruce said, finally turning back to the team, shoveling more food into his mouth. "The whole time travel do-over? Guys, it's outside my area of expertise."

"You are our last option, Bruce. If you can't do this, no one can. This is the last shot we have." Aquila said with a slight smile on her face. 

"Besides, you pulled this off," Natasha said, gesturing to his new physique. "I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible too."

Bruce sighed loudly, his eyes flickering to his now empty coffee mug before back up to where the team sat awaiting his answer. 

"Well, we've got to give it a go."

"Okay, here we go. Time travel test number one. Scott, fire up the uhhh. . . the van thing."

Standing in the Avengers Compound with the old, brown van that Scott had arrived in, now standing in the middle of the room. 

Bruce stood in the middle of the control panel while Aquila and Natasha stood off to the side both watching nervously as the plan came to life in front of them. 

"Breakers are set and emergency generator are up and running," Steve told the team as he reentered the room, joining Aquila and Nat's side. 

"Good. 'Cause if we blow the grid, I don't wanna lost tiny here in the 1950s."

"Don't worry, he's kidding!" Aquila said brightly, sending a smile to the nervous-looking Scott. "Completely kidding."

"You were kidding, right?" Natasha whispered to Bruce. 

"I have no idea. We're talking about time travel here. Either it's all a joke, or none of it is." Bruce quietly replied before turning to Scott. "We're good! Get your helmet on, Scott. I'm gonna send you back a week, let you walk around for an hour, then bring you back in 10 seconds. Makes sense?"

"Perfectly not confusing."

"Good luck, Scott. You got this." Steve encouraged. 

"You're right. I do, Captain America."

Aquila clutched her hands together as everyone waited in agony as the next five seconds passed unbelievably slowly. 

"Uh. . . guys?"

"Oh my god," Aquila muttered, her eyes widening as she looked over at Scott like the rest of the team, only it wasn't entirely Scott. He was a teenager.

"Who is that? Is that Scott?"

"Of course it's Scott!" The teenager shot back in a panic.

Bruce quickly pressed another button and just as suddenly as teenager Scott had appeared he had gone again, only to be replaced by someone entirely different. 

"Ow! My back!"

"Can you bring him back?" Steve shouted frantically at Bruce behind the control panel as the old man Scott in front of them continued to complain. 

"I'm working on it!"

Silence ensued when after a few seconds, another person appeared in front of them. The baby version of Scott.  

"It's a baby." 

"It's Scott!"

"As a baby!"

"He'll grow!"

"Bring Scott back!"

"When I say kill the power, kill the power," Bruce said gesturing over to Natasha. 

"Oh my god," Natasha muttered as well, rushing over to where the generator sat. 

"And. . . kill it!"

"Somebody peed my pants."

Aquila looked up in relief, her heart beating too fast for it to be normal, to see the normal Scott spewed back out of the van again. 

"But I don't know if it was 'baby' me or 'old' me. . . Or just 'me' me."

"Time travel!" Bruce shouted out, holding his hands up. "What? I. . . I see this as an absolute win!"

Aquila watched as Steve just shook his head in disbelief before leaving the room. She turned to Natasha who quickly rested her head on Aquila's shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief. 

"Yeah, let's not do that again."

"I couldn't agree more."