Trust | 1 |

Chapter Twelve

Bruce made me promise not to tell anyone else until after he was able to confirm his theory. I agreed quickly. If Bruce wanted this to stay quiet, then that means the other Avengers probably wouldn't like this revelation.

He genuinely did not let me leave the room until I said allowed, "I promise not to disclose this information with anyone just yet." Bruce seemed to be a very paranoid man. Judging by his life and events from it, I could understand where the paranoia came from. I had similar paranoia with my life too. As we were getting ready to leave, I had to ask Bruce a question. "Will I be able to access the presentation in my room? Or at all?"

Bruce hesitated as he thought. Then replied, "Not in your room, and nowhere else is truly secure. The only place would be here and I have high doubts that Fury will let you in here without probable cause like one of our tests." I nodded in understanding and thanked Bruce for showing me this.

We exited the room at the same time, after the entire presentation was away and FRIDAY ensured no one else would be able to see it unless it was me or Bruce. Outside the room, Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers were still there, but now so was Agent Lambert. He heard the door open and angrily walked towards us.

"What the hell Doctor Banner? You understand the regulations and the fact that you two need to set an appointment in order to see each other, and that's if the Director even allows it." My eyes widened and I looked between the SHIELD agent and the Avenger. I wanted to see how Bruce would take to Agent Lambert speaking to him like that. Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe I'm just used to seeing punishment ensue back at Hydra if you were dumb enough to challenge a superior.

Bruce took in a deep breath before answering. "I understand she needs an appointment. This meeting was an emergency about her health and abilities, and I didn't want to wait for director approval over something that may be bad." He then turned to me and smiled. "She's alright through, thank goodness," he said. Then he turned back to Agent Lambert. "I'd advise you not to yell at me like that again, because the Big Guy can be easy to provoke." With that, Bruce walked away and went over to a different spot to start working on something. I could only assume it had to do with me.

"Come on," Lambert huffed. He pulled my arm and took me back down to my room. Neither of us spoke the entire walk and saw no one else on our journey. I figured they all had better things to do. However, once we passed a window, I realized why nobody may be around. It was nearly pitch black outside, the only source of light being the city lights. The window passed but I still thought about the outside world. I couldn't even remember the last time I had a moment to just enjoy the cool nighttime air.

We got to the common room area and I stopped walking. Agent Lambert turned to me frustrated. "What?" he asked in an annoyed huff.

"Can I have a moment to just stand out on the balcony?" I asked him. Something shifted in Lambert's eyes, and he simply nodded and let go of my arm. He let me walk over to the balcony on my own and go out there. I went out and stood at the edge. Lambert must've stayed inside, as I couldn't sense his presence near me.

There was a slight cool breeze, and I just sat there and enjoyed the fresh air of New York City. Maybe it wasn't the freshest air ever, but it was still better than the same air inside the tower, of the reek of sadness and death of Hydra facilities.

I closed my eyes and just allowed my senses to enjoy.

~~

Stark and Steve had been talking about who knows what at this point. Stark couldn't remember. He only remembers seeing Bruce hurriedly drag Rey into the private conference room, then turn on the opaque windows, then the two of them coming out a while later. Of course Stark thought dirty things at first, thinking his buddy scored, but when he remembered who went in there with his friend, Stark immediately struck that image out of his mind. Besides, there was no moaning or anything coming from that room. So what the hell was Banner hiding?