My Neighbor, Mr. Rogers

Chapter Thirty-Four - Science? Yeah, Sure. It's Science.

"This is a terrible idea. I don't care if you're a celebrity/billionaire/superhero, I will kick your tin can six ways to Sunday."

Tony waves my threat off. "It'll be fine. You just do your 'Rain Man' thing and answer the questions and your precious books will be fine."

I look longingly to my hardcover edition of the Harry Potter series. They sit, stacked up and alone, on the concrete across the room from me.

Curse my undeniable fangirl side that revealed such a weakness.

Bruce hands me a curved tablet. "We want you to watch this video. It's only about eight seconds long, but don't look away and try to not blink. It's important that you don't miss any of it."

"Don't blink. Blink and Harry's dead. Got it. I've been preparing for this for years now."

Bruce stares at me.

"It's a 'Doctor Who' thing."

He nods. "The weeping angels, right? 'Blink' is one of my all time favorite episodes."

I immediately perk up and fight down the squeal of finding one of my kind. "You're a Whovian? I just bought series eight on iTunes – well, the episodes that have aired so far. Want to watch them with me?"

Steve and James aren't quite ready for 'Doctor Who'...but soon...

"Okay, freak and geek, let's focus on the fiery explosion at hand, shall we?" Tony interrupts. Someone doesn't like to be left out of the conversation. "Go ahead and watch the clip," he directs me. "All of your leads are recording."

They have placed several electrodes on my forehead and temples and my inner arm. I comply with Tony's 'request' and am immediately overwhelmed. There's a ton of images that flash one after another, moving too quickly for me to really remember much of anything. But at least I didn't blink. "You didn't just upload the Intersect into my brain, right? 'Cause I doubt I'd take it as well as Chuck Bartowski."

"Now we'll establish your baseline," Bruce disregards my question and takes the tablet from me, tapping and swiping the screen a few times. "Go ahead and describe as many of the pictures as you can."

"Um, there was a black and white puppy, a pink rose. Uh, a skyscraper...a crying baby...um, a neighing horse...Oh, and a waterfall!"

Tony snorts. "Is that all?"

"They went by really quickly! And, some big tree. But yes, that's all." I cross my arms awkwardly over my cast.

"That's within the average range of recall." Bruce notes something on the tablet. "How many candles were on the birthday cake?"

I shrug, not remembering seeing a cake.

"What was the brand of the cherry red car?"

I shake my head.

This pattern continued: "Was the grandfather holding a little girl or a little boy? Which national monument was depicted? How many pictures with snakes were there? What was the last picture?"

I couldn't answer any of them.

"Very impressive," Tony scoffs. "Now the fun begins," he says with a wicked grin. "Anne, as you may have guessed, this," he gestures to the rocket-y looking thing beside him, "is a flamethrower."

'Why would I have guessed that? Do I appear to be someone who would be familiar with flamethrowers? Hint: No.'

"Once primed, it's set to fire if, after four seconds, this dramatic red button isn't pressed." Tony holds up a metal box with big red button smack in the middle. "So, you answer each question correctly in four seconds, or I don't press this button and Dum-E finds out how fireproof the Boy Who Lived is."

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. This is why I'm in a chair that is not on wheels and why it's just Tony and Bruce here with me. Bruce won't interfere because he's a professional (and he can't risk going green) and Tony won't interfere because he's Tony and he's a sadist when bored.

"We'll give you a little extra time on the first one as a warm up," Bruce amends with an apologetic smile.

"Shall we begin?" Tony wiggles an eyebrow and powers on the machine, igniting its pilot flame.

My pulse jumps. If he hurts my babies...

Bruce clears his throat. "We'll ask the same questions, but once your adrenal glands react, we believe the serum should activate and you'll have perfect recall. Now, how many candles are on the birthday cake?"

A holographic screen generates beside me with a timer counting down from six. Gee, so much more time. Thanks, guys.

I struggle to make myself remember.

Five.

But I can't think of anything cake related.

Four.

The pilot flame grows. My heart beats even faster, but I can't remember what I need to.

Three.

My breathing quickens and I panic. I feel the now familiar shift in my mind and I can remember.

"Twelve. Ferrari. Both. Washington National Monument. Twenty-three. Inebriated Tony in a party hat."

Two.

Tony pushes the button and they stare at me.

"I assumed this would save time. No need to endanger my books any more than is absolutely necessary."

They look to each other.

I frown at Tony. "Drawing a mustache on a sleeping Stevie, while a classic – was not your best work. You could've done much better."

"How many of the images can you remember?" Bruce's attention is caught.

"You were correct in your inference – in this state I have perfect recall."

They appear dubious so I offer, "would you like me to tell you their order in the montage?"

Bruce asks excitedly, "Can you do that?"

"Sixty-seven. Three hundred forty-eight. One hundred eleven. Eight hundred ninety-two. Four. One thousand five," I answer after a second's pause.

Tony looks dumbfounded while he and Bruce check my response on the tablet. They murmur geek-speak hurriedly back and forth.

Without their attention on me, I feel myself relax. My head dips in sudden exhaustion and something drips onto my chin. I swipe my hand beneath my nose and it comes back bloody. "Huh. That's gross. Um, fellas? Could you put the science bro-out on pause for a hot second?"

Their eyes snap to me and they become immediately concerned.

My head swims. "I'm...I'm pretty sure I might..."

Yeah, I passed out.

---------------------------------------------------

A/N: I love me some science bros.

For the few of you wondering who the heck 'Dum-E' is, it's that one bot of Tony's that's in all of the 'Iron Man' movies. You know, the one he made wear the dunce cap and threatened to donate to a city college if he misused the fire extinguisher again? Yeah, it's that one. I'd like to imagine that Tony keeps it at the Tower when he stays there for extended periods of time, you know, for company.

Hope you all liked the chapter, the next one is...I'm too sleepy to describe it, so let's just call it a surprise.

It isn't.

That's the surprise.

Oh, wait. I'm confusing 'surprise' for 'disappointment' again.

Boy, I'm really good at encouraging you all to keep reading. 'Yes, folks, be sure to tune in next week when the next chapter is a guaranteed disappointment!' It isn't.

I don't think.

I need to go to bed.