16410/Checking On Bruce

Checking On Bruce
Date of Scene:	25 November 2023
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Labs
Synopsis:	Steve checks in on Bruce after he apparently had Hulked out and damaged a small New Jersey town. An ice-fishing and winter camping getaway is in the works.
Cast of Characters:	Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers

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Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner is troubled. He's always troubled, of course, in the most primal and violent of senses. But this is more recent, born of the rampage in New Jersey. When troubled, science has always been his refuge, even when he was a boy. He'd hide from his father's rages under the blankets with Stephen Hawking or Carl Sagan or just his science textbooks, learning everything he could, trying to stuff enough knowledge to push away the bad feelings. Push them all the way down inside where he couldn't feel them anymore.

Little did he know what swallowing all that pain would cause to grow within him. The rage. The frustration. The alienation. So much anger. So much pain. Of such things, monsters are made.

He's checking in on a few small experiments he has going, collating the data and going through the instrument readings on some microparticles he has contained within a particular plasma continuum. He's wearing his labcoat and glasses, his dark hair a little messy, concentration focused enough that he probably doesn't hear Steve even come in.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers had checked with JARVIS as to where Bruce could be found while Steve was in the kitchen. Hearing he was in the lab, Steve grabbed the pair of mugs he'd been filling with beverage, and heads downstairs to the hallway that has the labs, the medical facilities, and other facilities.

Leaning against the doorway, Steve gives a little knock on the doorframe. "Bruce," he says, letting Dr. Banner know that he's there. Steve gestures with the two mugs. From the foamy melted marshmallows on top it looks like there's a good chance they contain hot chocolate. Steve is wearing a sweater against the cold weather outside, as a cold front blew across most of the country over Thanksgiving. "Thought maybe you could use something warming," he offers.

If there's anything other than a negative response, Steve will move forward to pass the cop of warm hot chocolate over. "I made this the old fashioned way. Condensed milk, cocoa powder," he says. "Not the stuff in the can, or the one the coffee machine puts out." The coffee machine does do a pretty good job. Tony got them an expensive one after all.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner looks up from his screen. Probably best not to startle the human A-bomb, yes. "Ah, hey, Cap," he says. He pushes his glasses up onto his forehead and rubs his eyes as he steps over to take his cup of hot chocolate. Nice and soothing.

"I imagine the old fashioned way is just the way for you, half the time. Wouldn't even occur to you to use a mix," he says. "I always liked the mix growing up, but that's because I could do it myself. Plus, mixing, stirring, it was basically chemistry class," he grins.

"I assume you're here to make sure I'm not on the verge of a meltdown after what happened. I won't pretend I'm okay. I'm...ashamed, more than anything," he sighs, taking a seat on one of the tall stools.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve passes over the mug of hot chocolate, and then leans back against a clear space on the lab counter. "Well, I suppose that's important too. Mostly though was wanting to see how you're doing," he says. No one crowded Bruce after the incident. There was a knock or two at his door though if he didn't answer, people left it at that.

"Not that we have to talk about it. Could always talk about your..." Steve says gesturing vaguely towards the scientific equipment and seeming to try to figure out what to call. And finally settling on, "Experiment. Or whatever else." Steve gives Bruce a quick grin and then takes a sip of his own hot chocolate.

"Well, I can recognize the positives of not having to spend as much time at things," he says. "But sometimes it's nice to go through the steps yourself, I find," he says with a small shrug. "But yes, probably most things about me are old fashioned," Steve agrees with a quiet chuckle.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner sighs, "I've checked my biometrics. Nothing seems to have changed. My presumption had been that I was caught in one of those bomb blasts and it lead to the rampage. Why I went to New Jersey, I have no idea. Hulk and I don't share memories and we don't exactly...communicate very well," he says. He looks down and takes a long sip of his chocolate.

"I'm not sure that you'd be terribly interested in the vagaries of electron spin in gamma irradiated spaces. The more I can understand how gamma effects the world - not just me, not just people, but everything it touches - the closer I'll be to grasping its mechanisms and the ways in which it creates these transformations in..."

He shakes his head, "And then I started talking about it anyway. My last memories are of the coffee shop. I had gotten a message from an old colleague to meet him there to consult on something, he didn't say what. Just wanted my opinion. But he never showed up and then those bombs began to go off. I became concerned, left the cafe to get a closer look and then...it all goes black. The next thing I know, you and the others were there and I was...the way I always am. After he does what he does."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve just sips his hot chocolate quietly, listening actively to Bruce with small nods here or there that show agreement and that he's listening. "I can't imagine anyone keeping their calm completely with bombs going off and people running and screaming and everything, Bruce. You've done a remarkable job overall keeping things under control. And you've done a lot to help the Avengers. To help the city," he says.

"Everyone in Marbury has been accounted for," he adds, naming the tiny town that suffered the attack. "There were some injuries, but nothing left that's serious. Sara and Witchblade were able to heal the worst of them," Steve adds. "There wasn't even a hospital stay for more than one or two, and them just for observation. Overall, it could have been worse," Steve says, tone reassuring, especially at the end.

His eyes go back to Bruce's experiment and Steve nods. "I hope you're able to find the understanding there that you're looking for. I admit this would have been way beyond me even for the science of my day. But with the advances you all have made," Steve Rogers says, giving a light chuckle to Bruce Banner and just shaking his head at the chance he'd ever understand any nuance there.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner sighs a bit of relief to hear that no one was hurt, "I'm glad. Hulk...he rarely tries to do harm to innocent people, but he's not careful. He mostly just wants to be left alone, most of the time. Unless the threat is real and present. Then he wants to smash it. More subtle solutions don't enter the equation."

"I appreciate you trying to encourage me, Steve. But this is a reminder that I will never - ever - be safe. Maybe I got too complacent. You start to feel like a hero and you forget you're a monster," he says.

"I'll never stop trying to look for a cure. But the more research I do, the less one seems likely. Maybe I'm just tilting at windmills."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"You should feel like a hero, Bruce. You are one," Steve says in a voice that leaves no doubt he believes the truth of his words. "None of us are perfect. We've all had things go wrong. Did something in a fight that damaged someone's property, or even resulted in someone innocent being hurt. Failed to save someone. You may have a more severe situation. But don't think you aren't a hero because of this, Bruce," Steve says in a voice that manages to be gentle yet firm at the same time.

He takes another sip of hot chocolate and relaxes against the lab counter again. "Have you ever been snowmobiling? There were some in the war, but seems like they really came of age after my time. Last year I arranged to rent a couple and take Lara snowmobiling up on some farm land upstate. Once we get some snow if you'd be interested in getting away for awhile we could take a trip upstate somewhere. Still a lot of towns up there I haven't explored," Steve suggests.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner finishes his cup and gives a weak smile, "I appreciate your kind words, Steve. Truly. I do not accept compliments well."

At the offer, he raises an eyebrow, "I do not think snowmobiles and I would get along well. But I do enjoy snowy environs and fires and hiking in the snow. And I could ride a snowmobiles, even if I wouldn't trust myself to drive one. I'd just drive off something high and end up going green and scaring some poor old hermit to death."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Well," Steve replies, "Maybe we can make it a camping trip for the group. Have a few snowmobiles for those who want to give them a try. Anyone else can stay at the camp. Maybe find somewhere we can do some ice fishing while we're out there," Steve says, musing and thinking even as he speaks.

"You know," Steve says with a small grin, "I don't think I've gone ice fishing in... it would be nearly 80 years now. Last time was in Eastern Europe, getting food after rations ran out on a mission," he says. "I think it would be more enjoyable if there were some other food just in case we didn't catch anything."

Steve pushes away from the lab counter, looking over at Bruce's experiment again. "Good luck with the gamma research Bruce. I don't know how I could possibly help, but if you ever need a literal pair of hands or something, let me know?"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce Banner nods, "You know, I never would've thought that to be my sort of thing. But fishing saved me a lot of times, during my time as a fugitive. I never liked stealing food, even though I rarely had money. The main problem was holding onto the fishing gear. I had this pocket fisherman for a long time that I managed to keep in a napsack, just a simple little fishing tool that you could fold up. I ate a lot of very tiny fish sitting camped out around lakes and streams."

"So count me in for ice fishing, at least. And yes, I'll keep you updated. You keep me updated if there's anything else about...what happened. If I need to make any amends, I will," he says softly.