911 | james barnes

002

10:02am, May 24, 2002

Cincinnati, Ohio

A gasp sounds out in the otherwise silent room, incessant beeping resonated from a small machine in the corner as his breaths grew stronger. Bruce blinked, looking around the empty hospital room, an IV line in his arm and an oxygen tube shoved in his nose. A nurse runs into the room, silencing the noise before she grabbed the clipboard hanging from the edge of his bed.

"Dr Banner, you're awake. It's lovely to see you." Her voice was smooth like honey and comforting like a warm hug.

"Why am I here?" His voice croaked, dry and husky from its lack of use.

"You were in a terrible accident in your lab just over a week ago. We found you under rubble after a distress call was made." The nurse pottered around, checking tubes coming from places Bruce didn't want to see.

"My daughter! Is my daughter okay?!" Bruce panicked, sitting up in bed, attempting to leave on wobbly legs.

"Dr Banner, who is your daughter? Is there anyone we can contact to see her?" The nurse replied, easing Bruce back onto the bed with concerned eyes.

"No, she was with me when the, the radiation. She was there!" He yelled, pushing her hands away from his body.

"Dr Banner, the rescue team didn't find anyone else there with you. Are you sure she was there?" The nurse looked squarely into Bruce's eyes, her hand reaching for the phone attached to her hip.

"Yes, yes! She was there. I covered here from the blast. SHE WAS THERE!" His voice was strained, muscles in his body flexing harshly.

"Okay Dr Banner, I'm going to go out into the hall and call the police and the rescue team, we'll find your daughter. Just make sure you stay calm okay? We'll have the whole city looking for her. You stay right here. I'll be back in a minute." The hand near her hip shot to the phone, calling nurses, doctors, police and the fire department as she rushed out of the room, leaving a heavily breathing Bruce Banner on his hospital bed, helpless and alone.

"They're going to find her." He uttered to himself as his eyelids fell closed.

5:17pm, May 24, 2002

St Petersburg, Russia

"This will be your home from now on. You can learn to dance and how to protect yourself so nothing bad will happen to you here." The same man the four year old had been cuddled up to in the helicopter said, holding her hand while walking her into a building with lots of people in it.

"Will I get to see my Daddy here?" She replied, her voice meek as she struggled to keep up with the long strides of her 'guardian'.

"He'll come to see you in a little bit okay? But you have to make sure you're good here or they might not let you see your Daddy." The small girl nodded in response, walking through a door into a neatly organised office.

"This is Madame Bouffier, she'll be your teacher."