The Pirate And His Sea

Chapter 5: How Bruce Found Out

(This is not my chapter and the credit of the characters goes to their respective authors)

It wasn't often that Bruce was called onto the field for something other than smashing things as the Hulk. The opportunities to use his knowledge as a doctor, medical or scientific, were far in between and he relished when they did come.

So when the Avengers were called out in the middle of a battle, he was fully prepared to shut his eyes and let the Hulk out to jump from the carrier. At least, he was until a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to meet Coulson's steady gaze.

"You'll be staying here. Your medical and scientific expertise will be needed in case the terrorists unleash a biological weapon or anyone on board the carrier gets injured." The agent said. Bruce raised his eyebrows, and his teammates paused in their preparations for the battle, but soon resumed their actions.

"You'll be okay?" Steve asked as he buckled on the sheath for his shield. Bruce nodded - he was practically safer in the carrier, and he wouldn't have to stomp around as the other guy. Seeing Bruce's silent answer, the super solider turned to Coulson. "So, what exactly have these terrorists got?"

"Robots. Eight feet tall, they are extremely strong and are programmed to shoot on sight if they see you. They're set to rampage until the terrorists are defeated or their demands are met. We also believe they may have a chemical weapon, like we mentioned earlier, but it's just a suspicion." Coulson gestured to Bruce. "That's where you come in."

"So, Brucie is the backup in case they whip out something unexpectedly nasty?" Tony asked, fiddling with a few spare parts. He squawked as Clint yanked the half-made contraption from his hands, tossing it into a random drawer while muttering about him probably making a bomb.

"Essentially, yes." Coulson shrugged, glancing out the half-open cargo bay of the carrier. "You'll be dropping in a second. Good luck, you lot. Bruce will meet you guys down there once the majority of the fight is over."

Bruce watched his friends and teammates gather by the cargo bay, ready to jump out onto the fast approaching roof tops. "Stay safe," he told them. They flashed him easy grins in return and Thor clapped him on the back. "Do not worry, friend Bruce! We shall regroup and celebrate with drink and food after this battle."

Bruce sent them off with an uneasy smile, trying to take the god's words to heart, but found he couldn't. He had an uneasy stirring in his gut, and he had found over the years that it promised trouble. He could only do what he could and hoped everything would turn out fine. It usually did. Today would be no different.
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The battle ended surprisingly quickly, and Bruce was let out onto the ground an hour and ten minutes after he had wished his teammates good luck. He couldn't see any of his friends in the immediate vicinity, but he could tell they were safe and healthy, if the bickering over the comm in his ear meant anything. Moving down the street and away from the carrier, he made his way to where he had been told his team was. Several monuments and street lamps were broken and bent, and two unmoving robots lay strewn on the ground. One was half draped over a fountain that Bruce recognized - a now-cracked marble bowl, with a small pillar of sea creatures like fish and seals rising up from the center. The odd horse-fish on the top leaked water from the trident on its back in random jets. Bruce could remember Percy showing him it, taking odd pride in the odd fountain. He'd said the horse-fish was a hippocampus. And if he was right, then the fountain was only a block away from Percy's apartment...

I hope he's alright, he thought. It had been a few months since he'd met Percy, and he often went to drop by his apartment whenever he had to get away from the Avengers tower. The green eyed man always welcomed him with open arms, and if he wasn't at home in the apartment then he would wander over to Percy's bar (it was thankfully only a block away - literally a two minute walk) and get a non-alcoholic drink and chat with the other man. If something had happened to Percy, it would be a hard blow to Bruce's mentality.