Ready, Fire, Aim!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Alrighty then! Any questions, or shall we begin? I'm thinking they should start at the tower.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Sweet_Wyvern

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Sounds good! You can start us off.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Oh, and I can take Ross if you don't want to. I was thinking that he could supposedly have a warrant, and that's why they have to keep running and trying to get him out of it))

 

It was the usual Monday afternoon. The hum of computers and machinery surrounded him, a comforting melody in the background of his muttering to himself. Sir, might I point out that you have now been active for a consecutive 78 hours? Jarvis' chiding tone interrupted his train of thought. "Noted. Don't care. Working," Tony grunted, narrowing his eyes at the circuit board he was working on. Sleep was irrelevant, he had so many ideas to bring to life. That, and insomnia, but whatever.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

((That's fine with me. It's probably better since they'll be so much conflict between Bruce and Ross.))

 

It was in the middle of JARVIS explaining to Tony the vitality of a good night's rest (a speech that he's heard seemingly a thousand times before) that he came into the lab, having finally stopped and caved into catching some sleep, and later some tea, after hour 72. If he didn't let his engines cool off after an extended period of time, it always made keeping the Other Guy at bay that much harder.

 

He swore, if JARVIS had the programming to sigh, he would've.

 

"You still up? I thought for sure that you would've passed out by now."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony put down the tool he was using and fixed Bruce with a haughty stare, completing the look with a hand on his hip. "Yeah, no, thanks mom," he scoffed, raking his fingers through his tussled hair. Between the AI and Bruce, he might as well have a set of parents. His irresponsibility was his own business, thank you very much. "What's the matter, can't handle a few hours without sleep?" He asked, cocking his head to one side. "You were looking pretty green around the gills." Smirking to himself at the joke, Tony worked on pouring himself coffee number.. Well, he lost track.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce suppressed an eye-roll. It amazed him sometimes how Tony could so casually bring up the Other Guy, but after living in the tower for 3 months, he'd started to get used to Tony's wisecracks.

 

"I bet if you stopped acting so childish, I wouldn't have to nag you all the time, twitchy," he said lightly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

 

He moved to the other side of the lab to his station, setting down his mug of earl grey. He had just begun to poke and swipe through various Scientific Discovery articles on the tablet Tony had given him when a small notification appeared on one of the monitors to his left. It was a news bulletin....about General Ross at City Hall.

 

He felt the color drain from his face. "J-JARVIS play news footage," he said shakily.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Don't try to change me, Bruce. You know you love me the way I am," Tony fired back jokingly, returning to his work. He was tired of course, but refused to sleep. Nightmares- no thank you. He was in no way afraid, oh no, he just needed distractions.

 

His attention was drawn to the big television screen as Jarvis turned up the volume and displayed the latest news. Watching silently, he couldn't help but shudder. This wasn't good.

 

"Millions of dollars in property damage, and no doubt thousands of civilian casualties. The Hulk is a monster and needs to be contained before any more damage is done!" Ross was shouting angrily, preaching to a huge crowd. The feelings seemed mixed, some agreeing and some disagreeing. It was obvious the judge was going to be forced to rule in his favor.

 

"Jarvis, mute." Tony turned to Bruce, apprehension mixing with concern. "Are you okay? He- there's no way they'll listen to that hothead," he tried to comfort.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce didn't reply. All the fears and anxieties that had finally begun to ease away came rushing back in a tidal wave at the mention of Ross' name. He didn't even have to really listen to the footage; he'd heard that speech what seems like a hundred times before.

 

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have allowed himself to become so comfortable here? He knew it would only be a matter of time before the Other Guy ruined everything; he always did.

 

Plans to escape the city already began to race through his head, clouding his thoughts like a fear-induced fog. He stood to leave, knocking over his now cool cup of tea.

 

"Woah, Bruce, calm down. It's okay," Tony said, placing a firm hand on his trembling shoulder. He could feel the Other Guy moving around in the recesses of his mind, awakened by the mention of Ross; the beast started to try and tear down the carefully placed walls, desperate to take control. Bruce took a shuddering breath to try and center himself; now was not the time.

 

"No, it's not! I-I have to leave. You don't know Ross; you don't know what he's capable of. I won't put anyone in danger, especially not you or Pepper, or this tower, or anyone inside it."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Just in case you aren't sure, when you roleplay you don't god-mod (say what other people's characters do). It's not that you did anything wrong, its just different than writing a story. I couldn't just say that Bruce jumped out the window, because he isn't my character))

 

Tony frowned, his mind working quickly to try and come up with something to say. It was clear Bruce was going into a panic, which could be chatostrophic if he lost control. He wasn't afraid of the Hulk, but it would prove Ross' point, which wasn't good.

 

"Hey, easy buddy- I agree you need to leave. He won't stop at anything to get to you and the Hulk. But I'm coming with you. This place is boring anyway," Tony said firmly, leaving zero room for argument. His friend was in danger, so he would help him. Quickly he typed a message to Pepper explaining everything as best he could, then shooed Bruce towards the door.

 

"Come on, we need to get you out of here until we can figure this out. You don't have to go through this alone this time."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

((Oh gods, sorry! Like I said, I'm still new to this. I'll pay more attention next time..))

 

Bruce's moment of panic stopped for a moment, and he turned to look at the billionaire. He saw sincerity in his eyes, and for a moment all his fear and worry seemed to evaporate. No one other than Betty would've ever done that for him.... Maybe they could leave, and Bruce wouldn't have to say those bitter good-byes that he abhorred, and he wouldn't have to be alone anymore (Well, as alone as Bruce could ever be.).

 

But this flicker of hope snuffed itself out as fast as it had come.

 

"No, Tony you can't! You can't leave New York, and don't try and use that, 'I'm Tony Stark and I can do whatever I want' crap, because you know that Pepper would kill you if you just up and left! You have an image to uphold, and the Avengers need you!"

 

He stepped away from the other man and squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to calm his racing heart. If just the thought of Ross finding him could affect him so drastically, imagine what being on the run will be like? He needed to get a cap on this before the Hulk did something stupid and killed someone.

 

He tried to keep his breathing steady and rhythmic, wrapping his arms around himself, as if physically holding himself together. He knew he must look ridiculous, getting so overwhelmed, but memories of Ross' military base, of the torture, of the pain, flashed in his mind and he couldn't help it.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Don't worry about it I'm just here to help))

 

Tony thought that perhaps he had succeeded, and Bruce would allow it. But then the scientist's expression changed, and he knew that he was starting to shut down. Just like that he was pushed away; Bruce was clearly trying to go into 'lone gunslinger' mode.

 

"Hey- don't do this to me Bruce. I can leave, not just because I'm Tony Stark, but because you're my friend and you need me. Pepper would understand, she cares about you too. As for the Avengers, well, they'll be fine without me. You're an Avenger too, and we need the whole team, got it?" Tony insisted, crossing his arms stubbornly and fixing Bruce with a stare.

 

"If you don't let me come with you, I'll just follow you. I'm pretty good at tra-" The ground began to shake, cutting him off. Running to the window, he saw that there were tanks rolling up the road. Oh .

 

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's heart nearly stopped at the sight of the tanks, their green exteriors reminding him of the Other Guy's skin, and he felt his eyes widen in fear. Without another moment's hesitation, he ran through the lab doors, not even bothering to stop at his room to grab the few possessions he had, before making his way to the exit. Maybe if he could get out the many back entrance, he would be able to slip away undetected by Ross' soldiers.

 

He knew that Tony would probably try and follow him, and at this point he didn't care, he just need to get away from here.

 

He rounded the corner, nearly plowing into Steve, whom had just been on his way up from the lobby to meet with Clint for training exercises, and was only a few seconds ago staring around in confusion at the rumbling coming from outside. Bruce ignored Steve's questions about what was happening outside, much to the Captain's confusion, and instead chose to barrel through the doors to safety.

 

He didn't make it two feet out the door before he felt the all too familiar pressure of a gun against his back.

Edited May 10, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony swore and ran to the garage, jumping into the machine that assembled his suit around him. The face plate had barely snapped shut down when he was off, dashing to the balcony and leaping off. Shooting down along the side of the building, he slammed into the person with a gun in Bruce's back and landed behind the doctor, lifting his hands.

 

"Back off Ross. You can't have him," Tony growled, his repulsers whining as they charged up for a huge blast. His gaze snapped towards one of the tanks as the top opened, the General's head appearing.

 

"Get the hell outta my way, pretty boy. That man is a public menace. Move now, or you'll be going to jail along with him," he threatened, but had to duck back down when a repulsor blast shot over his head. "Uh, yeah, no. Ready to go, Bruce-y boy?"

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

More than a little shocked, Bruce gave a quick nod in reply. He glanced back at the sound of a door closing, and saw Steve standing behind them, brows furrowed in confusion.

 

He had little to no clue what was happening, seeing the military armed against his teammates, and he was more than a little torn on what he should do.

 

Bruce wished he could give him an explanation, but instead decided to brace himself for what he could only imagine to be a very bumpy ride.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

"Better clench up," Tony warned, wrapping his arms around Bruce and launching off. He could see that Natasha was watching from one of the windows, an unreadable expression on her face, but there was no time to explain.

 

He had to fly slower than usual with cargo, but still he went fast nonetheless. A few bullets shot after them, but they all went wide. "We're gonna go far. No peanuts on this flight- sorry," he said, his voice coming out robotic and distorted. He flew them a few miles out of New York State and into the forests of Pennsylvania before he actually set them down.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"Jeeeesus!" He untangled himself from Tony's suit and let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

 

He was grateful that Tony had been preoccupied during their flight, as choking down the adrenaline and the Other Guy's mad struggle for control had left him more than a little green. He thought that he could see small, finger-shaped dents in the armor where his hands had been clinging on for dear life.

 

"Thanks for the lift, but next time we need to get away, let's try and stick with more land-based travel, hm?" he breathed, hands on his knees.

 

He was still shaking a bit, but knowing that they were safe for a few moments put him a ease, of only a little. He straightened, looking around at the expanse of trees. "What now? Your suit is probably running low, what with the long flight and the extra weight... Do you think your jet could get us out of the country undetected?"

Edited May 8, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

The face plate on his helmet slid up, revealing Tony's grinning face. Considering Bruce hadn't Hulked out, his reaction was pretty funny. If he noticed the dents, he didn't seem to mind. The guy really had a lid on things.

 

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't think I can outrun a tank. Had to think quick- sorry big guy," he replied with a shrug of his armored shoulders. When he took the time to actually look around, he noticed a road not far off. Just a minute's walk, really.

 

"Yeah, if I want it to stay a secret, no one will know I'm even gone. I can have it land in an airport just south of here and pick us up, but that means we either have to hoof it all the way there or hitchhike," Tony replied, tapping his chin in thought. "My suit is about half drained of power, but it should be okay so long as I reserve power for fights only. Hopefully we don't encounter any."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce gave an exhausted nod, and began their walk to the road. He could feel a slight frown curl his lips, as knowing their luck, a fight was almost a given.

 

He remembered wondering vaguely if walking around in the suit was as difficult as it looked, but decided to keep his mouth shut at the spectacle.

 

It took a good while before they saw anyone drive past, and Bruce could have practically cut the awkwardness of two men (one with his long curls flying haphazardly across his head with tears in his shirt, and the other looking more like a shiny red and gold robot than a man, standing on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere) in the air with a butter knife. But they did finally see someone, thank goodness.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony didn't say anything on their little walk, which was unusual for him. Truth was, he was cursing himself for not getting some sleep. Sure, he would get nightmares, but at least he would have some rest. He considered putting the suit on autopilot and sleeping inside, but just then someone came around the bend.

 

Quickly he walked out in the road, waving his hands for the driver to stop. He prayed that the driver would hit the brakes- armor or no, it hurt to get hit by a car.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

((@shadow_claw: you can go ahead and stalk all you want ;D))

 

Bruce was about to push Tony out of the way when he finally heard the screech of the old tires against the gravel. The woman stepped out of the old white pick-up and ran over to the front of the vehicle.

 

She looked at them with startled grey eyes. "Are you okay?! Why did you just jump in front of my truck; are you mental?! I could've killed you!" she said with a mixture of concern and disbelief.

 

He stepped over to them, not quite sure what to say. He was glad when Tony finally spoke up.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony let the face plate slide up once more, revealing who it was. How did this lady not know him? He was tempted to rant about how everyone should be able to recognize him, but didn't. Instead he removed his helmet completely and held it under one arm, offering her one of his charming smiles.

 

"Am I mental? Well, that's debatable, but for another time I'm afraid. We need a ride to the airport, its about fifty miles south of here. Any chance you could give us a lift?" He asked, gesturing to himself and Bruce.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

The woman just stared at the pair with utter disbelief on her face. Bruce could tell that she was about to tell Tony to stick it, and quickly stepped in. He put on his best nice-guy face, the one that convinced people to help him out and let him stay in their house for a night, or take him to where he needed to go, that he'd perfected over his many years on the run. She didn't stand a chance.

 

A couple minutes later, they were inside the truck, riding down the road, the Iron Man suit weighing it down significantly. "I don't know why I'm doing this. I barely know you! You guys could be serial killers for all I know!" she muttered mostly to herself.

Bruce suppressed a grin. She sort of reminded him of Betty, with her dark brown hair and her I-don't-take-anything-from-anybody sort of air she had. "So you really don't know who we are?" he asked politely.

 

"No, should I? I mean, I live out on my family's land a few miles back. I only went to town to get some supplies; I definitely didn't plan on picking up a couple of hitchhikers and driving over 40 miles out of my way to drop them off at the airport. I've never even been on a plane before..."

Edited June 17, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony really had to fight to stay calm. Really, the one person they run into and she doesn't know who he is? He's Tony ing Stark for god's sake, how did she not recognize him? His name was on everything! Fuming in his head, he pouted very obviously on the outside, complete with crossed arms and a scowl.

 

"Lady, were not killers. We're Avengers. Do you know how many people would kill to have IronMan and Bruce Banner in their car? I'd say the Hulk but -no offense big guy- I don't think anyone would want the hulk in their car. Bit of a squeeze really," he finally ranted. He didn't find it amusing like Bruce, his ego was severely deflated.

 

"Being a billionaire and all, I will PAY you to just drive us there, okay?" He huffed, settling back to sulk some more.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce suppressed another eye-roll (which seemed to pretty much sum up Tony's entire personality), and shot the stranger a soft smile in order to further emphasize that they were the good guys. Well, at least at the moment; Tony was slowly making his way across that line...

 

He made sure to shoot Tony something between a 'be nice' and a 'be thankful you have a ride at all' glare through the rear-view mirror, before turning back to the driver.

 

"I forgot to ask, what's your name? Sorry, I'm not usually this rude, but as you can probably tell, it's been a hell of a morning..."

 

"Um, Clara. And you're Bruce? Nice name," she said warmly. Clara turned to Tony. "So you're a billionaire, huh? I'll make sure to keep that in mind when we stop at the pump," she said with a very Tony-like smirk.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony completely ignored the look he was getting and shut his eyes, thudding his head silently and repeatedly against the glass.

 

"I'm Tony Stark by the way, thanks for asking," he grumbled, and considered asking Bruce to Hulk out and strangle him. There was a hell- it was this truck. He had a pounding headache, which was making his mood more than irritable, and he was absolutely exhausted.

 

The smirk just about did it for him, too. This lady was too much like him- never had he missed Pepper so much. "I think I might pass out," he groaned, mopping his face. "If I'd known we would be getting shot at today, I would have slept."