Archive of Our Own

There are a lot of things that Bryce Banner doesn’t tell people about being the Other Gal (not that many stick around to listen since most of them jump ship after learning who she is), but it’s probably just as well. The things that other people assume about Bryce and the Hulk are more flattering than the reality.
For one thing, everyone assumes that the transformation is painful. Even if Bryce has accepted the fact that the Hulk will never leave, she still doesn’t have to like it. Yet, as much as it terrifies Bryce to admit it, she likes turning into the Hulk. There’s something about the raw power she feels as her muscles swell and harden over an expanding bone structure that’s intoxicating. Even though she pays a heavy price every time she changes, it’s freeing to not have to worry about control for once, to just let things happen and not have to deal with the consequences for a while. She relishes it and that will always be her darkest secret even as she mourns for the lives lost in the destruction her alter ego leaves behind.
As much as she wants to, she can’t blame the Hulk for her actions. The Hulk wouldn’t exist if Bryce had been mentally stable when her body was doused with enough gamma radiation to level cities (Funny what a childhood of abuse at the hands of a drunken father who cursed your birth and murdered your mother will do to your psyche). It also doesn’t help that the world is constantly calling for her blood. The world roars at the Hulk and the Hulk roars back. It’s a never-ending cycle.
Every last bit of the Hulk’s anger is borrowed from Bryce, and not exaggerated in the slightest. Bryce knows this and for all that she claims to hate the Hulk, Bryce is more afraid of what she is without the Hulk than of the Hulk herself.

Bryce had no reason to believe that S.H.I.E.L.D. would really have left her alone and stopped tracking her once she left America. So when she finds herself on the edge of a small village in Calcutta and facing a woman with flaming red curls and a stance that never truly relaxes, she isn’t surprised.
“A bit of an unusual place to settle for someone avoiding stressful situations, isn’t it Doctor?” The woman, Natasha Romanov as she calls herself, observes. The edge of Bryce’s mouth quirks up in a sardonic smile.
It’s nice to pretend that that the thought of being in the same room with Bryce doesn’t intimidate her (though for a spy, her body language is very telling. The tension in her shoulders and the constant shifting on her feet and the way her right hand lingers near her hip…).
Not that Bryce looks very intimidating considering that even though she’s a few inches taller than Natasha and heavier, she’s not muscular and is all soft edges. The tiny crows feet at the corners of her eyes and the grey threads in her curly brown hair are also deceiving, giving the impression of a mild-mannered woman in her early forties.
“If it was as simple as avoiding stress, then I would have found a better place to hide long ago.” Before Natasha can respond, she changes topic. “I assume that you didn’t come here just for small talk and to check up on me for S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“You know I’m not here to kill you, then.” It’s a statement, not a question.
“They wouldn’t send just you to kill me. Not that they could do it anyway.” Bryce already suspects that Natasha is not alone but she waits patiently for her chance to prove it. “It takes a lot to land a hit on the Other Gal. No, you need me for something. Psychologically it would make sense for them to send a woman, make it feel like less of a threat if someone of my own gender does it.”
“I’m not threatening you Dr. Banner.”
“Oh? It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Natasha sits down at the table in front of them, takes out a phone, and shows her a picture of a glowing blue cube. Bryce puts on her glasses to take a closer look. “This is the Tessaract. It’s an object that contains a great deal of power and a madman named Loki from another world has taken it. We need your help to find it. It emits a faint gamma radiation signal that we can’t trace.” She puts down the phone and looks directly at Bryce.
“You’re the world’s leading expert on gamma radiation. If anyone can find it, it’s you.”
“And that’s the only reason you need me?” Bryce says disbelievingly.
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“My orders come from Director Fury. He wants you for the cube, not for… your other talents.”
“In my experience that’s never the case.” Bryce remarks dryly. Natasha leans forward.
“Bryce, we have no interest in the Hulk-“ It’s the way she uses Bryce’s name so familiarly and in such an obvious lie, which makes her decide to show her hand. She slams her hands down on the table.
“TELL ME THE TRUTH!” She snarls and her eyes flash green. The Other Gal is there, but she is not interested in the proceedings. All Bryce has done is merely makes her presence visible for a split second. Natasha jumps back and in a heartbeat a gun is trained at Bryce’s chest.
By then, Bryce has schooled her expression back into its normal calm state. She gives Natasha a small smile. “Sorry about that. You can call your people off now.”
A still shocked assassin touches her earpiece. “Stand down.”
There is definitely some satisfaction to being right, even if it isn’t entirely in your favor.
“So about the cube?”

For an introvert like Bryce, it’s a bit annoying to stand out the way she does on the runway of the Helicarrier. While everyone is rushing around in various different uniforms and suits, Bryce is clearly out of place with her untidy hair and ill-fitting clothes.
Her bra in particular is very uncomfortable. It’s too small and unfortunately it’s difficult to find bras in her size that are also in her price range, but even if she had the money, her clothes tend to get ripped to shreds when she transforms. That’s why she usually chooses to wear very loose clothing in order to have some semblance of modesty when she changes back. The bras are just too expensive to bother buying in the right size.
As she wanders around, trying not to bump into anyone (not really a problem as most people seem to be avoiding her), she meets Natasha, who is with Captain America.
It’s a bit strange to be meeting the man who unintentionally and indirectly is the reason that she turns into the Hulk, but stranger things have happened, she supposes, and she’s hardly going to hold a grudge against an innocent man.
He smiles charmingly at her, and while he’s not her type, she has to admit that he’s handsome in a sort of high school football star kind of way.
“Hello Dr. Banner. I’m Steve Rogers. It’s nice to meet you ma’am,” he says still smiling, but seeming genuine.
“Call me Bryce.” She responds as she shakes his hand. “It’s good to meet you too. So you’re here to help handle the Loki situation I guess.” Would it be too forward to ask for a few samples of his DNA? Probably.
“Yes I am. And I understand that you’re here to help look for the Tessaract.”
Bryce raises an eyebrow and lifts her chin. “Is that the only thing they told you?” Steve meets her gaze.
“That was the only thing they told me that I think is important. Unless things get out of hand, I prefer to judge people by character, not by things they can’t control.”
Despite herself, Bryce appreciates the apparent honesty in Steve’s voice, even if he’s slightly wrong.
“Captain. Doctor.” Natasha interrupts. “If I were you, I would get inside soon. The atmosphere is going to get a bit harsh around now.”
The ground under them shakes and Steve and Bryce gaze down the side of the Helicarrier.
“A sub?” Steve wonders out loud.
Bryce chuckles and when Steve looks at her she explains “It just seems kind of stupid on their part, trapping me underwater with a ton of other people. I can’t possibly think of a more dangerous location for me.”
Of course, as it turns out, the Helicarrier is the opposite and four fans begin lifting them into the air.
“Never mind. This is even worse.” Bryce says, still smiling and shaking her head at the absurdity of the situation.

The bridge of the Helicarrier is impressive and gleams with a newness that reminds Bryce a little bit of something out of a science fiction book or TV show. She doesn’t trust Fury though, even as he holds out his hand to shake hers.
“Doctor, thank you for coming.” Bryce reluctantly shakes but keeps her grip firm, reminding Fury of whom he’s dealing with.
“At least you were polite about it. Can’t say that for some other people.” It’s brief, but a flicker of something moves across Fury’s face. Did he know then? Then again, it is S.H.I.E.L.D. so Bryce ignores it for the time being. “How long am I going to be here?”
“Just until you get us the cube and then you’re free to go.” Bryce snorts but nods.
“How far are you in the search?” Fury nods at Coulson, who explains that S.H.I.E.L.D. has eyes and ears on pretty much every wireless device on Earth.
Bryce considers this. “I need access to as many spectrometers as possible in order to narrow it down.”
“As good as done. We can get you access to every one on the planet.” The fact that Bryce is in the hands of an organization that has so much power is unnerving but again, she has to put that aside for the time being.
“We need to get them set up and calibrated to detect gamma rays. I can create an algorithm that will track it down based on the cluster recognition.” Bryce pauses. “Is there a place for me to work?”
“Agent Romanov, please take the good Doctor to her lab.”
Natasha nods and Bryce follows her out of the bridge. “Right this way, Dr. Banner. I think you will quite enjoy yourself.”

When Bryce wakes up the next day, it’s to learn that Captain America and Iron Man have taken in Loki after locating him in Germany but without the Tesseract. Also, the Helicarrier has apparently gained an additionally passenger named Thor who claimed to be Loki’s brother (although there’s something in there about Loki being adopted). Bryce honestly has no idea what to make of the fact that the Norse gods are real (even if the term gods is a bit of a stretch).
Bryce gets a glimpse of Loki as he is escorted to his prison. He turns to look through the window of the lab at her and suddenly her head aches and the Other Gal stirs more than should have been normal considering Bryce’s calm state.
It is more than a little unsettling, especially as she watches the footage of Fury talking to Loki in the briefing room with Thor, Steve, and Natasha.
“It’s an impressive cage.” Loki is saying. “Not built, I think, for me.”
“Built for something a lot stronger than you.” Fury says in response.
“Oh I’ve heard.” Loki grins as he looks straight into the security camera. Bryce shifts uncomfortably at the sensation of three pairs of eyes on her at Loki’s words. She stares at the screen, determined not to make eye contact with anyone as Loki continues.
“The mindless beast, that makes play she is still human. How desperate are you that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?”
At that, Bryce finally looks away from the screen and begins fiddling with her glasses. No one speaks when the onscreen conversation ends until Bryce decides to break the silence.
“Fun guy.”
Steve ignores the comment “Thor, what is Loki’s play?”
“He means to lead an army called the Chitauri in combat to take over this world. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.”
“An army?” Steve’s tone is incredulous. “From outer space.” Something clicks in Bryce’s mind.
“So that’s why he took Erik Selvig. He needs to make a portal.” Thor’s head snaps up.
“Selvig?”
“An astrophysicist.” Bryce elaborates. She remembers him, a brilliant older man that she’d met once at a conference before the accident.
“I know him. He is a friend.” Interesting. Bryce will have to look at Thor’s file when she gets the chance.
“Loki put him under some kind of spell.” Natasha tells Thor. “Along with one of ours.”
Steve is paying attention, but he voices a different question that is still on everyone’s minds.
“Why did Loki let us take him? It’s not like he’s going to be able to command an army from a cell.”
“I don’t think Loki is the problem.” Bryce says. “He’s got crazy written all over him.” Thor frowns.
“I would speak more respectfully of my brother if I was you. He may not be of sound mind, but he is still of Asgard.”
Natasha says something and Thor responds, but Bryce feels another headache coming on so she doesn’t register the exchange. Something bothers her and before she realizes it she speaks out loud.
“Iridium. Why iridium? Why not molybdenum? Molybdenum is much more common and cheap than iridium, as well as having enough similar properties to fill whatever purpose Loki would need it for. So why iridium?” she asks.
“Better for stabilizing portals.” A new voice answers and Bryce turns around to see Tony Stark aka Iron Man aka the subject of many a scientist’s masturbatory fantasies entering the room with Coulson.
He’s every bit as good looking in person as on TV, and if his words are any indication, just as brilliant. Not that Bryce would ever think he wasn’t. She has read nearly everything there is to know about Stark’s advances in weapons and engineering. His suit and the arc reactor in his chest have been a source of fascination for Bryce ever since she learned about them. Her eyes are drawn to the glowing circle in his chest and Bryce wants to reach out and touch it and see if it’s hot or cold and ask about how it works.
Suddenly Bryce feels self conscious about what a sight she must be. She’s wearing the same shirt from yesterday, a royal purple button up that hangs so loosely around her that she needs to tuck it into her pants when she’s around her projects for safety’s sake. It’s also the same bra, and she’s aware of how unprofessional she looks in the unflattering clothes. She’s washed and brushed her hair since yesterday but there are still stubborn curls escaping her ponytail. If she’d known that she would get to see and talk to Tony Stark, then she might actually have made an effort to look nice. At least Tony doesn’t seem to care too much about looks either, as he’s wearing a Black Sabbath shirt and there are faint dark circles under his eyes.
Tony says something to Coulson and then turns back to Bryce. For a split second, she’s confused, but then she realizes that’s he’s elaborating on his answer.
“His portal won’t collapse this time like it did before.” Tony stops to make a small jab at Thor but continues. “Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long as Loki wants. Molybdenum doesn’t quite do that, although it’s possible it could be achieved with a molybdenum-iridium alloy, so that possibility should be considered.”
He begins rambling on about something totally different, and Bryce is suddenly aware of how much watching Tony is like watching a constantly running engine. Even when he stands still, his hands are always in motion and he doesn’t seem to stop talking unless he’s listening to someone else. His mind seems to have already jumped to the next topic before his mouth has. It is utterly mesmerizing to watch even when it’s interrupted by the others talking.
“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve asks Tony and Bryce jumps in.
“He would have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the coulomb barrier.” Steve seems confused but Tony is listening intently.
“Not if Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.” He points out.
“If he can do that, then he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.” It has been far too long since Bryce could have a more than halfway decent conversation about astro and quantum physics and she is in her element now. She almost forgets whom she’s talking to.
“Finally,” Tony gestures at Bryce. “Someone who speaks English.”
“Is that what just happened?” Steve wonders out loud but no one answers.
Before Bryce knows it, she finds herself shaking Tony’s hand and unable to look away from eyes the color of black coffee and just as sharp.
“It is an honor to meet you Doctor Banner. I’ve read quite a bit of your stuff. In particular, I found your work on anti-electron collisions to be unparalleled.” Were Bryce of a weaker will she might have make some kind of undignified noise at the fact that Tony Stark of all people knew and was a fan of her work. Of course, that might be because he didn’t know about the-
“And the whole mean green monster thing? Big fan.”
Or not.
“Thanks… I think.” Is all she can reply, as she feels blood rushing into her neck and cheeks.
The surprising part was that like Steve, he seems to mean what he said. He keeps looking at her even as Fury comes in and tells Tony he is expected to work with Bryce to find the Tessaract.
“Well then.” Tony turns to Bryce and with a twirl of his hand, indicates the door. “Shall we play, Doctor?” he asks in a way that makes Bryce have to remind herself that Tony is well known to be in a long term and stable relationship with Pepper Potts.
“Let’s play some.” She agrees and when Tony winks at her, she wonders just what she got herself into when she agreed to help S.H.I.E.L.D.

Later that night, Bryce’s scans of Loki’s staff prove one of her suspicious. She examines the results on the screen in front of her.
“The gamma readings I’m getting here match the ones in Selvig’s notes on the Tessaract. But it’s going to take us weeks to process.” She sighs. Bryce is tired and Other Gal shifts around for the third time that day. It’s a bit worrying, and Bryce wonders if it might have something to do with being in such close contact with another source of gamma radiation. She takes off her glasses and rubs her temples before putting them back on.
Tony is working at another screen, looking perfectly at home as he manipulates the images with the ease of a man who could do it in his sleep.
“If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops.” He says.
“And to think, I only packed a brush and an extra pair of underwear.” Bryce mutters, and Tony’s smirk indicates he heard her. She mentally braces herself for the inevitable womanizer attitude she’s heard a lot about but it never comes. There’s a slight sinking in her chest as she remembers that Tony has a good reason to not flirt with her. The Other Gal is a very effective cockblocker.
“You know, when all this mishugas is over, you should come to Stark Tower. Ten floors of R&D, all filled with the latest tech, it’s Candy land. You’d love it.”
Bryce’s heart nearly stops. Longing fills her chest. She’s missed being able to experiment to her heart’s content in a laboratory of her own. And all of that technology right at her fingertips, all of the discoveries waiting to be made, it would be like a dream come true. Some of the yearning must show on her face because Tony grins again.
“Come on.” He says oh so temptingly. “I’ll even help you design some stretchy clothing for when you turn into a larger version of those green chicks from Star Trek. I’ve heard that’s kind of a biggie for you, no pun intended.”
He just had to be a Trekkie didn’t he? And be totally cool with the fact that she broke the universal law of the conservation of mass.
“We’ve only just met and you’re already offering me a play to stay and help with clothing? Shouldn’t you buy me a drink first?” Tony laughs and it’s all a bit cheeky, but hey, it’s not every day that you get to talk and work with Tony Stark. And flirt.
Whoa, down Banner, he’s got a girlfriend.
“Look, Mr. Stark-“
“Tony. Mr. Stark was my father.”
“Tony, it sounds amazing and I’d love to, really, but uh, the last time I visited New York I kind of…broke…Harlem.” She looks down at her hands as she finishes the sentence and keeps her gaze there, slightly embarrassed.
“You shouldn’t deny yourself the things you want because of something that only might happen.” Tony says sagely.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few years, it’s that I don’t get what I want.” Bryce remembers the moment she learned that her body gave off enough gamma to give radiation poisoning to her partners and realized she could never form attachments, give birth, have a family.
“Well, I can promise a stress free environment.” Bryce can hear Tony walking toward her until his voice is behind her and she has to consciously keep from reacting to the fact that he’s willingly so close to her. “No tension. No surprises.”
Suddenly she feels a jab in her side and a small electric shock making her jump a bit.
“OW!” She says a bit louder than necessary, as it actually doesn’t hurt that much. Steve walks in just in time to see it. “What was that for?” she asks, turning to see Tony staring at her eyes, searching for a hint of green.
“Wow, nothing?”
“Stark! Are out of your mind?” Steve snaps at Tony. Tony ignores him.
“You really are in control aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.” Bryce says mildly.
“So how do you do it? Yoga? Meditation? Artistic endeavors?”
“A magician never reveals her secrets.”
Tony pouts and begins wheedling her. “You’re no fun. Pleeeeeease?”
“Is everything a joke to you two?” Steve asks, not in the least bit amused by the conversation.
“Funny things are.” Tony shoots back. Bryce almost laughs as she appreciates that she seems to have found an actual friend here.
Steve glares. “Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn’t funny. No offense, ma’am.” He adds to Bryce.
“No, it’s fine.” She assures him quietly, even if it does bother her a little bit that even Steve can’t trust her to not lose control. Tony shakes his head at her.
“You shouldn’t let other people walk over you like that. You need to learn to stand up straight and not take this BS from everyone.”
“And you need to focus on the problem.” Steve says unapologetically.
“What do you think I’m doing? The problem here is that Fury isn’t telling us everything.”
“Fury is the head of a secret organization. He doesn’t have to tell everyone everything.”
“Oh come on, like this doesn’t bother you. It’s been bothering her too, right?” Bryce looks up as the two men turn to her.
“Well?”
“Um,” Bryce shifts in her chair. “It’s just… there was something that Loki said about a ‘warm light for all mankind.’”
“What about it?”
“I think it was directed at you, Tony. I mean, everyone knows that Stark Industries is pretty much the only company that’s made clear progress in the search for clean energy. Your tower is supposed to run itself for a year was it, on the energy from Stark reactors?”
“Yeah,” Tony confirms.
“So if S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually interested in new energy sources, then why haven’t they asked Tony in before as a consultant? That’s sounds a bit fishy, at least to me.”
“Well, once J.A.R.V.I.S. finishes hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database, we’ll have the answer to that.” Tony says casually and Bryce suddenly understands that Tony hadn’t asked her opinion just to hear it, he needed her opinion to back up his own and prove to Steve that this was worth investigating.
“What?” Steve looks scandalized.
“I placed him under Fury’s desk earlier.” Tony says dismissively. “In a few hours we’ll know everything there is to know about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dirtiest secrets. Blueberry?”
He offers Bryce a bag that she hadn’t noticed he was carrying before. She reaches in and pops a berry in her mouth. It’s full and ripe and the juice isn’t too sweet or too tart.
“And you wonder why people don’t trust you.” Steve sighs.
“Forgive me if I don’t take most people at their word. I have good reason to have trust issues.”
So why is it then, that of all people, Tony seems to have chosen to trust Bryce?
“We shouldn’t be worrying about S.H.I.E.L.D. when Loki is the one winding us up.” Steve argues.
“Steve, at least admit that something isn’t quite right about all of this.” Bryce pleads. He looks uncertain, but he seems to shake it off.
“Just get back to work.” Is all he says as he leaves.
“So is it just him, are did all men from his time period have such big sticks up their asses?” Tony wonders. “Makes you question what my dad saw that never made shut up about the amazing Captain America.”
“He did have a point though.” Bryce chews on her lip. “Loki seems far too comfortable with his situation. He’s up to something.”
“Whatever it is, I can’t wait to be there when it all blows up in his face.”
“And I’ll be sure to read all about it.” Bryce begins adjusting the settings on the screen in front of her, fine-tuning the scans.
“Not if you’re suiting up with the rest of us.”
Bryce smiles weakly. “That’s the thing though. I don’t have a suit. I don’t even have clothes that fit properly. I’m always vulnerable, exposed like a nerve. It’s not a feeling that I would recommend to others.”
“You know I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart.” Tony tapped his chest where the arc reactor resides. “This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege.”
It sounds slightly rehearsed and Bryce wonders if he’s been meaning to say this to her for a while.
“It’s not the same though, you have control over it.” She contends.
“Because I learned to.”
“There’s a difference between a machine in your chest and a sentient being that hates you despite being born from part of your psyche. And I can’t help but wonder why a genius like yourself with intellect to challenge Hank McCoy or Reed Richards hasn’t tried to find a way to remove the shrapnel instead of just keeping it from entering your heart.”
Tony winces and it seems she’s hit a nerve. Then the data in front of her is swept to the side, forcing Bryce to have to look at Tony through the transparent material that makes up the screen. A part of her mind muses that Bryce has made more eye contact with Tony than she has with anyone else for several years.
“You know that you belong somewhere in the list of genii you just mentioned, right? Look, I’ve read everything I could find about your accident. I did the math and I’m certain that you should have died from the amount of radiation that your body absorbed.”
Bryce cocks an eyebrow. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. But what you’re saying is the Hulk- the Other Gal, saved my life?” Tony nods and she considers it. “That’s… cute I guess. A kind way of looking at it. But let’s say your theory has substance to it. If she saved my life, what did she do it for?”
Tony shrugs. “Dunno. Guess that’s for her to know and you to find out.”
“You might not like it.” Bryce warns.
“But you,” Tony points at Bryce. “Just might.”

To say that Fury is annoyed when he discovers Tony and Bryce aren’t looking at Loki’s scepter is an understatement. He’s pissed.
“Just what the hell are you doing, Stark?” he demands.
“Good question. I could ask the same of you.” Tony says.
“I was under the impression that you were supposed to be looking for the Tessaract.”
Bryce, ever the peacekeeper, jumps in at this point.
“We are looking. The program’s finished and once we get a hit, we’ll have the location for you to within a half mile.”
“See? No problem.” One of the screens beeps and Tony takes a look. “So, care to share what Phase Two is?”
A clunk from behind them makes Nick, Tony, Bryce turned around to see Steve has dropped some kind of unusual weapon on the table in front of him.
“Phase Two is S.H.E.I.L.D. using the Tessaract to make weapons.” He says coolly. To Tony he says. “Sorry. The computer was a bit slow for my taste.”
Fury attempts to defend S.H.I.E.L.D. but as more information pops up on the screen, it’s clear that he’s running out of excuses. Bryce’s headache returns and it’s much more painful this time and it doesn’t go away after a few minutes.
Thor and Natasha enter the room and Bryce turns on Natasha.
“I don’t suppose you knew about this?” The thought that they were using her all along just so that they could go back to making weapons is more that upsetting. And it’s not the first time that she’s been used for the sake of creating better weapons. Tony’s anger is perhaps even more justified as he has sworn off making weapons again unless they are a part of his suit.
“Are you sure you don’t want to remove yourself?” Natasha says, avoiding the question.
“I was already removed before you came to collect me. Calcutta is about as far removed as you get!”
“Loki’s been manipulating you.”
Bryce laughs bitterly. “Then what are you doing? I didn’t come here to help you make weapons of mass destruction. I would have assumed you’d know my feelings on the subject.”
At this point, three or four different conversations are going on at the same time that are escalating in arguments. Her head still paining her, Bryce can hear herself speaking too, but it’s lost under the other voices. She is unpleasantly reminded of a sealed bottle being heated over a flame, getting hotter and hotter, the gasses expanding until the glass bursts…
“Big man in a suit of armor. Take that away and what are you?”
“Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist.”
Tony and Steve are toe to toe, and it looks like fists will start flying soon. Fury is trying to talk to them, Natasha is calling them all morons and Thor is laughing at everyone. And then it happens.
“Agent Romanov, would you escort Doctor Banner-“
“Back to my cage? I thought that was taken?” Bryce says, biting back a growl that would really not help things.
“The cell was just insurance if we needed-” Fury begins but Bryce has had enough.
“In case you needed to kill me but it’s impossible! Do you really think you’d be the first to try?”
The room is suddenly silent. Bryce looks down and crosses her arms tightly around her chest, wanting to fold in on herself until she disappears. She doesn’t need to see their pity. She hadn’t meant to say it but now that the words had broken free from her lips she might as well finish.
“Shortly after the accident I ran away but General Ross caught me. He-“ Bryce shivers, the memories still fresh in her mind. She swallows but the words still shake. “He was afraid that I would tell the world what he was doing and he knew that he couldn’t control the Other Gal. So he ordered his people to kill me. They pumped me full of tranquilizers to keep me from changing. They tried everything, bullets, poison, asphyxiation, starvation, and anything else you could think of, but the Other Gal wouldn’t let me die, no matter how painful it got.”
She glances back up at the others for a split second but Tony’s expression is not sympathetic. The look on his face is pure empathy and Bryce does not know what to make of that.
“Over the next few months my body was able to adapt enough to fight of the tranquilizers so I changed and fled, with the help of the General’s daughter. I left the country to help other people. I did Good for once in my life. I was making up for everything I’d done and then I got dragged back here to be used again!” The pain in Bryce’s head feels like it’s splitting her skull but at this point she’s equally divided between anger and fear and sadness.
“Do you guys really want to know how I keep control? Do you?” she sneers. Her vision is veiled with green and blue, strangely enough.
“Doctor Banner.” Steve’s voice breaks through the veil. “Put down the scepter.”
Bryce blinks as the veil dissipates. Sure enough, when she looks down, her hand is clutched around the scepter and has lifted it a few inches from its stand. Shocked and a bit shaken, she puts it back down. The computer beeps.
“Got it.” Tony’s says, his voice more somber Bryce than has ever heard it.
“Sorry guys, I guess you don’t get to learn the secret behind my magic trick just yet.”
The other are speaking again, but Bryce’s attention is focused on the screen. It says that the Tessaract is right next to the Helicarrier, but that doesn’t make any sense unless…
Unless someone brought the Tessaract here.
“Oh my god!” Bryce cries just before the room explodes and she is thrown down into some kind of equipment room with Natasha.

Oh no. Not here, PLEASE not here.
Taking deep heavy breaths Bryce tries to calm down but the Hulk is awake and she will not be soothed. Bryce groans as she grips the grated floor until her knuckles turn white and then light green.
She can already feel the changes beginning to happen. The raw energy spreading through her veins, her increased heart rate, and the heat her body begins to give off. She can feel her face slowly broadening, the soft edges disappearing into blunt features.
“Doctor.” Natasha voice saying and the fear in it is tangible. “Bryce, please, you have to calm down. There is no threat right now. We’re fine. We’re gonna be okay I promise.”
More lies, Bryce knows, and she’s sick of it all, sick of being manipulated and talked down to and not being trusted and it makes angry, makes her want to smash-
“Come on Bryce, please. You’re playing into Loki’s hands. Just calm down. When this is over, I swear you’ll never-“
“NO MORE LIES!” Bryce roars, her voice deepening as it leaves her.
She throws her head back with a growl as green creeps from her chest into her neck and arms and down to her already tinged hands. More deep groans are ripped from her throat as muscles enlarge and under her shirt the bra gives up the struggle and snaps. Fortunately her shirt does not do the same, but the sleeves tear along her now thicker arms. The pants do the same thing, ripping around her calves but still clinging tightly to her form. Her hair snaps free from the ponytail.
In one last attempt to aid Natasha, Bryce fights of Hulk’s control long enough to try to scramble away a few feet to allow Natasha to escape. Bryce looks back at Natasha and though she can no longer speak through her mangled vocal cords, she tries to convey that she’s sorry through her eyes.
“Bryce…” Natasha whispers. That’s the last thing Bryce knows before the last of her control is ripped away and she sinks down into the black of her mind as Hulk roars in triumph.

When she wakes up, Bryce is nearly blinded by the sun shining through the ceiling. Oh wait, there isn’t a ceiling, just a giant hole above her. It had once been a ceiling though, so one could forgive her for the mistake.
Looking down, Bryce finds herself lying in rubble, hardly an unusual occurrence. She is also naked, though there are a few shreds of fabric under her, so she infers that her clothing had held up at least until she fell through the ceiling.
As she lays there, bits and pieces of what the Other Gal experienced come to her. She remembers chasing Natasha, remembers fighting Thor as he yelled that they were not her enemies, remembers a vague terrified face and then falling… falling… falling…
“You okay down there?”
Bryce starts a bit and draws her knees toward her chest as she looks up. She may be more casual than most about nudity seeing as for her it’s unavoidable, but she still has a sense of modesty. An older man in a security guard’s outfit is staring down at her from the edge of the hole in the ceiling looking slightly embarrassed on her behalf.
“I’m fine.” Bryce answers. “What happened? Did I hurt anyone?” She asks as an afterthought.
“You fell down.” He answers, pointing up. “There was no one around except me. You might have scared the crap of some birds though.”
Bryce lets out a large sigh of relief as she leans back against a bit of rubble. “That was lucky.”
“Not necessarily.” The man suggests. “You were awake at the time.”
“So you saw…”
“Yup. Big and green like nothing I’ve ever seen. Here you go.” A large shirt and a pair of pants land in front of her. “When you started shrinking I went to get these.”
“Thanks.” Bryce says as she quickly pulls on the shirt.
“So how did you get like that? Magic? Aliens?” the man asks as Bryce pulls on the pants.
“Aliens?”
“You know, outer space. Extraterrestrials. Area 51. Star Wars.”
“No.”
“Well then, lady, you might to get something for that.” Bryce huffs and stands up to dust herself off.
The man watches her. “So are you a big thing that gets small, or the other way around?”
Bryce thinks about it for a moment. “I suppose I came first, but to be honest, I don’t really know sometimes.”
“Do you have somewhere to go?”
“Stark Tower.” Bryce answers immediately to her own surprise. “No…” she corrects herself, but changes her mind again. “Yes.”
“You don’t seem very sure.” The man observes.
“Well…” Bryce pauses. “I know that I’m needed there, but that’s also where there is more potential for me to hurt others.”
“Isn’t it like that for everyone?” The man points out. He leads Bryce outside to a motorcycle and hands her the keys.
“Here, there aren’t very many buses to take you where you need to go. Just try to send it back in one piece okay?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Bryce says and she climbs on. “Thank you again.”
“You’re welcome.” The man smiles. “Now go and save the world, or whatever it is you do.”

New York City is in a horrible state by the time Bryce arrives and she begins to believe that any damage the Hulk would do here wouldn’t make much of a difference. The further into the heart of the city she goes, the more destruction she sees. Overturned cars litter the streets and several buildings are sporting broken windows and missing chunks from the sides. Chitauri are swarming high above the ground and people are panicking.
To avoid traffic, Bryce zooms along the abandoned sidewalks, feeling bad about it, but at the same time she needs to find the others and since the police are busy keeping people out of the battle zone, she doesn’t have to worry about getting caught.
It’s easy to find the others, all she has to do is head toward Stark Tower and the chaos surrounding it. She takes a moment to enjoy the looks on Natasha, Steve, Thor, and Natasha’s friend’s (Barton, is it?) faces as she rides in on the motorcycle.
She takes a moment to pointedly look around at the devastated city before turning back to them.
“Having fun?”
“It would be more fun if we had some help.” Natasha replies. Bryce looks at her, knowing how brave it must be for Natasha to ask for help from someone she can’t help but be afraid of.
“Sorry,” she says softly, hoping to get across her double meaning.
“It’s fine. It’s just that we could really use it.” It’s not so much Natasha’s words, but her steady eyes that inform Bryce she is forgiven.
And then Steve is speaking into his earpiece. “Stark? She’s here.”
A slightly muffled and metallic voice can be heard from the earpiece. “Banner?”
“Yup.”
“Well, tell her to break out the big guns. I’m bringing the party to you.”
Bryce follows the others gaze to see Tony in his Iron Man suit flying toward them and right behind him is some gigantic creature that looks like a flying sea dweller, a Leviathan.
“I don’t get how that’s a party…” Natasha remarks quietly.
Glancing back at the others, Bryce sees Steve looking at her expectantly. She turns back toward the Leviathan and begins walking toward.
“Doctor,” Steve calls to her. “Right now would be a great time for you to get angry.”
Bryce stops walking and looks back at Steve. “You guys never paid attention. It wasn’t about not being angry. The anger is always there. I just reach for it when I need it.”
The moment she finishes speaking, Bryce slips away and the Hulk rears her head in Bryce’s place. The transformation is so smooth that it takes place in seconds.

For the second time that day, Bryce wakes up in a place that she doesn’t recognize. Despite having just woken up though, she’s exhausted. Two Hulk-outs in one day will take a lot out of you.
She’s naked again, but a blanket has been draped over her. Natasha or Steve, she guesses. She wraps the blanket around her chest, then stretches her arms and legs, feeling the pops and cracks in her joints as she moves them around. As she does so, she sits up and observes her surroundings.
She’s indoors again, but this time there is no hole in the ceiling, though there is one in the glass walls, whose great view tells her she’s in a skyscraper. Stark Tower. Of course. Where else could she be?
At least she’s not alone this time. Tony, Steve, Natasha, Thor, and Clint Barton are watching her from the couches on the other side of the room, seemingly having settled down to wait for her to come to. In the middle of the floor, Loki lies in a large hole. Thor’s hammer rests on his chest, which seems to make him unable to move. Bryce makes a mental note to later ask Thor about how the hammer works.
“Damn, I always seem to skip out on the good parts. What did I miss?” she asks, earning some tired smiles from the other heroes. Transforming voluntarily means that Bryce recollects less for some reason, but if the memories that do come through are any indication, then everyone has done more than enough fighting to last a good long while.
Naturally, Tony is the one who takes the initiative to answer. “Well, once the Hulk came into the picture, our job got a lot easier, though you could really work on the dramatic entrance thing. She seemed to be having a ball, though. Especially after she gave Rudolph there a good talking to.” He points at Loki who scowls in their direction.
“You know,” Tony continues. “I think you should try letting her out from time to time, blow off some steam, stretch her legs, get some exercise. Could be therapeutic for both of you.”
“The short answer is that we won. We’ll show you the footage later.” Natasha interrupts.
“But I was getting to the best part where I sacrificed my life to save everyone by sending a nuke into the portal!” Tony whines.
“You did what?”
“Don’t worry, Hulk caught me when I fell. Did I mention that I’m a fan? Because I am. I’ve always loved bigger women; I don’t know how many people know that. Anyway, are we good to go for schwarma now that Bryce is back?” He asks barely giving Bryce time to register.
The Hulk had saved Tony? Was it possible that she could do Good after all? Tony was right all along? Never mind, Bryce was too hungry to think about such deep questions.
“I’m up for that.” Bryce replies as her stomach growls loudly enough to hear from several feet away. She needs to eat anyway every time she changes back in order to make up for all the energy lost during the transformation process so carbohydrates and protein sound like good place to start.

In less than an hour, Bryce is wearing some borrowed clothes (Apparently Pepper’s, and at least someone was smart enough to make sure a sports bra came with the outfit), and eating schwarma that tastes just as good as she imagined it would be. Even though she’s practically dead on her feet, she savors every last bite of skewed lamb. It’s not often that she gets to relax and take a deep breath after she Hulks out so she enjoys it while she can. And after two consecutive Hulk-outs, she sort of feels she deserves it. She ends up eating around three wraps, which doesn’t seem out of place next to Steve and Thor’s rapid consumption, which matches her own. Tony actually looks sort of impressed.
“Wow, hungry much?”
“Talk to me when you have superhuman metabolism.” Bryce mutters through a mouthful of pita bread.
At some point though, the conversation lulls and no one speaks for a while. Not until one of Tony’s army buddies comes by and they are all introduced and if Rhodey sizes up Bryce after learning who she is, she pretends not to notice.

Before long, Thor is making preparations to leave with a now handcuffed and muzzled Loki. Before she prepares to take out the Tesseract, Bryce draws Thor aside to apologize for punching him out as the Hulk. He doesn’t look angry and instead waves it off.
“I assure you, I have sustained far worse damage in battle, and I do not begrudge you for being a worthy opponent, or ally for that matter.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “I am honored to have fought at your side, today. You are a mighty warrior, Banner; regardless of the form you take. You should not fear yourself so.”
Tony may make quips about the demigod’s intelligence, but perhaps Thor is wiser than he appears at first glance.
After they send off Thor and Loki, the other Avengers begin making their farewells. Natasha introduces Bryce to Clint Barton properly and he seems like a nice enough guy (Bryce secretly wonders if there might be something going on between the two, but it’s difficult to say). After that Natasha hands Bryce a bag that feels like it’s full of clothing. Bryce isn’t sure when or where she got it but she’s not going to ask.
“Thank you.” Bryce smiles cautiously at Natasha who gives her a smile in return.
“Take care of yourself, Doctor.” It’s not cold at all. It’s an exchange between two people who have potential to be friends or at least good acquaintances given time.
As Tony waits expectantly in the car, Steve comes up to Bryce.
“Thank you for coming back, Doctor.”
“I told you to call me Bryce.”
“Thank you, Bryce. I guess I was a bit wrong about you. I didn’t think you’d come back. Hulk actively avoided harming citizens and saved many lives, including Stark’s. I’m sorry that I didn’t trust your control.” Steve is about to continue but Bryce stops him.
“You treated me like a human being, albeit one more dangerous that the average person, but human nonetheless. I don’t usual get that good treatment and I don’t blame you for being concerned with everyone’s safety. Thank you.”
They shake hands.
“Good luck with the twenty first century.”
“Thanks. And good luck with whatever you decide to do.”
They say goodbye before Bryce gets in the passenger seat of Tony’s shiny sports car and they drive away.
“So where are you headed exactly?” Tony asks. Bryce shrugs.
“Right now, I’m considering Haiti. Enough people have lost interest in it for me to not draw attention if I go there. They still need help but the world has forgotten them. Besides, I’d at least be in the same hemisphere as you guys.”
“You know my offer to hang out at the Tower still stands. If you don’t have a place to go, you’re more than welcome to come back with me. I’m sure I can get Pepper to let you stay. Well, okay, she might have some issues with it. Just give me some time and I’m sure I can convince her. Not that it should be too hard. All I would have to do is show you with that kicked puppy look of yours and she’ll beg you to stay.”
“It’s a kind offer, but I really don’t need your charity. And besides, you’ve seen what the Hulk can do. Are you sure you want that much potential damage mooching off of you?”
“Okay, first off, charity? God no, that sounds so patronizing. I think of it more as helping out a fellow scientist by giving her a long-term place to crash and work with competently developed equipment instead of whatever shit you’re using out there. Second, hello?” Tony waves a hand at himself. “Genius billionaire right here. I can pay for damage. And if you want, we can look for ways to teach the Big Gal how to have better judgment when smashing. Heck, I could even build a room just for Hulk when she needs a place to go but there isn’t anything to destroy. Adamantium or vibranium reinforcement would do it I think. Come on, how can you say no?”
“Very easily.” Tony’s face falls.
“Please.” This time the appeal sounds almost pleading. “I haven’t had anyone to discuss science at my level with since, well, since I got this.” Tony taps his reactor.
No wonder Tony has accomplished so much in his life: he doesn’t just accept things; he pushes to get the results he needs. He probably wouldn’t be alive if he didn’t have that stubbornness.
“Fine.” She relents and Tony whoops. “But only for a few months, and then I’m off.”
“Only if you still want to leave after you see just how much science we can do together.” Tony says confidently, like he’s sure that the chances of that are low. “Pepper’s gonna love you, I just know it. You can do whatever it is that girls do, kick ass, have sleepovers, and talk about how devastatingly handsome I am.”
“Whatever you say.” Bryce says rolling her eyes with a smile. As Tony continues rambling on about something else, she leans back in her seat, finding herself feeling eager about the future for the first time in years.
Perhaps this won’t be so bad after all.