I walk down the long corridor leading to the stairs of the basement. I walk down the stairs ,walking to the lab where Fitz and Simmons are engaged in a heated debate over something on the monitor. Bruce seems amused by this and gives me a half-hearted wave as I walk over to him.
"We need to talk."
"I figured that was coming some time. Not from you,but from the others."
"You wanna go somewhere private."
"I don't think those two are a problem."
Eye Fitz and Simmons and laugh lowly."Just for precautionary measures."
He leads me down the damp corridors of the basement and we come to a small room,in which is neat and orderly."This where you been sleeping?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you just sleep upstairs with everyone else."
He removes his glasses and throws them on his bed."Because half of the on's sleeping upstairs are fighting for their lives. Would you like to sit?"
I sit down on the hard couch."Why'd you leave Bruce?"
He scratches his head."Just straight to it. Huh."
"Don't skate around it. I wanna know why you left and why you're avoiding us."
"I'm not avoiding I'm evading. And those are two different things entirely."
"Why,Bruce?"
He sits down at the end of the bed and runs his hands down his face."I don't know why I didn't come back-"
"That's bull.You know damn well why you didn't come back,Bruce."
He scratches behind his ear."The first few days,I searched. I did. I found the house at Clint's farm burned down,and noone was there. I thought you guys were dead. So I went into hiding. And I saw the broadcast of Clint and Tony. And I gave up. I gave up ."
"There's more to this than your saying ,Bruce."
He turns away from me staring at the wall as if somehow that will have his answer."You're right,Cap,"He shrugs."You're absoultely right."
"What's going on Bruce-"
"You left me,"He hisses.
"Bruce-"
He shakes his head."I don't need an explanation. Leaving me there was the logical thing to do. The safest thing to do. What with Natasha and Clint and Thor fending me off ,you all had to get out. And me being...the other guy,there was no way to get me out safely. "
"We would've gotten you out if we had time-"
"I don't need that. I know you would've come back. But the tower was already down,and you were out."
"That's why you didn't come back?"
He laughs."No,no. I found something."
"Found something?"
"They're called the Miracle Twins. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch."
"That what Simmons and Fitz are fighting for?"
"Their DNA is amazing. Unlike anything I've ever seen before."
"Yeah,what can they do?"
"Well Quicksilver,if you couldn't tell by the name,is fast. He's the one who brought Natasha to the hospital.And Scarlet Witch,she's amazing."
"What can she do?"
"Plenty. Chaos Magic,warping reality,probability manipulation. She's amazing."
"Friends?"
"Quicksilver ,quite possibly,but Scarlet Witch,I'm afraid is a bit more
reluctant to join us."
"What does that mean? Why?"
"She seems to be really loyal to her father."
"And he is?"
"Magneto."
"Mm. That's just great."
"You should go back upstairs. Be with Natasha,everything will go back to normal eventually."
"Nothing will ever go back to normal. It wasn't normal when Loki attacked. America mended it's wounds then But these are much deeper than that."
"Steve,normal has taken on a new definition since The Battle of New York. In about a week or so,that normal will be accepted."
"Yeah,Bruce. I don't think so. I think things are about to get a lot worse from here on out."
"Go back upstairs and be with Natasha. Go get some sleep."
"Night,Bruce."
"G'night."
