The Science of Monsters
Chapter Two: Jarvis Time
“Honey, I’m home,” Tony yelled as he walked into his favorite house; the Malibu penthouse. He knew no one was home, but he always liked to announce himself because Jarvis always felt more like a human than a computer.
“Hello, sir. Ms. Potts is still at the office. She did inquire why you went out so early this morning,” Jarvis informed.
“And…”
“I told her you had an errand to run for your newest toy.”
Tony laughed, “Good boy, Jarvis.” He shrugged out of his jacket and shoes, “I did pick up some things for the Mark 42, and your new update is finally ready. You will be able to actually leave the house, big guy.”
“I've always been able to leave the house in the Iron Man suits, sir,” Jarvis stated. If he would’ve been a real man his eyes would have rolled as a sneer crossed his features.
"Yes, but this will be a lot different. See now you'll be able to see all the safe houses and monitor who comes and goes for me," Tony smiled.
"What don't I do for you, sir," Jarvis stated. “You should be nicer. I may end up sending you to the community college with Dummy!”
“You wouldn’t!” Tony could almost hear the mechanical laughter.
“Yeah, yeah. Can you work the coffee maker? I don’t feel like going back out for a coffee run, or dealing with Happy if I ask him. And Pepper is probably mad so you know she won’t.”
“It will be ready in approximately five minutes.”
“Perfect! Thank you, Jarvis. I’m probably going to go out again tomorrow morning. I’ll take the ‘new toy’ with me so you can tell Pepper that it’s a test run. Hopefully I’ll be back before she leaves for the office.”
“I’ll try to remember that, Mr. Stark.”
Tony smiled to himself as he heard the coffee maker gurgle to life. He plopped down on the couch before turning the television on to check the news. Another bombing of a tech lab was all over the screen. “The Mandarin has struck again,” the reporter yelled into the microphone. “When will these bombings stop!”
An aging oriental man, lacking hair on his head but not in his beard, appeared on the screen. His eyes a cold shade of black spoke volumes before he opened his mouth. “I am going to teach America a very valuable lesson…”
“You’re coffee is ready.”
“Do we know anything about this guy, Jarvis?” Tony questioned mindlessly pouring a cup, taking a sip, and adding a touch of brandy to it.
“We have not been informed, although Colonel James Rhodes has called several times this week.”
“Call him back; set up a lunch thing for me.” He took a few more sips of coffee. “You make horrible coffee, Jarvis. Don’t forget to check in with Bruce after you update in a few hours.”
Bruce walked along the sidewalk, window shopping for clothes that he would find comfortable. He pushed the dark sunglasses he found at the warehouse further up on his nose before pulling the black cap he stole from the barge lower. Something about being in a large crowd of people frightened him, but he knew he couldn’t spend time doing the same thing in that warehouse if Tony was going to continue to pop by unexpectedly.
Another thought crossed his mind, a thought he’d tried to push away more and more now that he was back in America. He could see those stunning blue eyes clearly as he could see the perfect blue sky. Had she cut her long, wavy chocolate hair? Betty Ross. Bruce knew he should probably go see the woman he considered the love of his life, but he was afraid. He didn’t give her time to process ‘the other guy’; there was no way of knowing how she felt about him. He couldn’t invade her life again, not just because he was still in love with her, because he couldn’t take it if she had moved on…
A light grey, short sleeved, button down shirt caught his attention on a nearby kiosk a pretty blonde haired girl was running. “She’s just Tony’s type,” he chuckled to himself as he approached the cart. He grabbed the grey shirt along with blue and green shirts of the same style, and the khaki draw string shorts. “Oh, those are going to look really good on you,” she winked before Bruce handed her a few bills. He blushed slightly as she wrote her number on his receipt while handing him his bags.
His money was running low, but he wasn’t too sure of what he could do in the area. Tony set Bruce up in the most remote place he could think of, which happened to be in the research facility part of town the only thing surrounding him was a lot of labs. A lab was definitely the last place on Earth he would ever considering working, there was one other thing. A used car shop wasn’t too far from the warehouse, and it wouldn’t be too bad or hard to get a mechanic’s position…
Bruce walked the five mile trip back to the warehouse before heading towards the dealership, a mile in the direction he bought clothes. Several men smiled waiting like vultures to sell him a beat up wreck. “I’m looking for the owner of the place,” he smiled as he continued walking towards the only air condition building on the lot.
“He’s in the back office, sir,” one of the men called as he walked into the building.
“If there’s a problem with the car we sold you, there was fine print in the contract saying ‘sold as is’ so I can’t help you,” a tall man with salt and pepper hair waltzed out of the back room. “If you’re looking for a good car, you’re in the right place,” his smile was nothing short ‘winning.’ If Satan had a human face, Bruce knew who he looked like.
“I can fix your problem,” Bruce stated. His short stature barely met the man’s shoulder, but his features were set and he made a point not to fidget.
“How’s that, sonny,” the older man chuckled.
“If you pay me under the table, I can fix up those clunkers outside. People won’t come back or try to sue you anymore.” Bruce stared into those cold, dark pits the man had for eyes.
“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” The corners of his mouth turned down as he leaned against the corner of a desk.
“I’ll fix one car for free. The rest, I want at least $50 a car for labor.”
The man’s eyes gleamed as he nodded, “I have just the car then.” He led Bruce into a dark show room before flipping on the lights. “This is old Fred. No one can get this car started. If you can, the job is yours.” Bruce nodded before the man handed him the keys.
“I’m Big Mike, if you get it working.” The man’s maniacal laughter filled the room.
“My name is Bob.” Bruce held his hand out causing Mike to laugh harder. He turned his eyes towards the floor, “Where’re the tools?” Mike pointed to a large red shelf/box before he took his laughter from the room.
Unlocking the door and popping the hood of the rusty red1960 Ford truck was easy. “Let’s see what’s wrong with you…” he trailed off turning the key in the ignition. There wasn’t a click to signal the starter worked.
Bruce climbed out of the driver’s seat before climbing under the hood. The battery cables were rusted, there was a hole in the air filter, it needed a new gasket, and the starter needed to be checked. He used to fix pipes and machine starters at the factory in Guatemala all the time, the air filter might be problematic, but the cables just needed scrubbing.
A metallic brush drew his attention from the engine; it was perfect for scrubbing the cables, so he fixed the battery first. He pulled out the starter before putting a sealer on the pipe to dry. The starter had two frayed wires which he fixed with electrical tape. Lastly, he pulled the air filter out, flushed the dirt, and found the hole. He noticed a bin marked spare parts; he shuffled through it until he found a similar air filter in good condition that needed to be cleaned.
Four hours after Bruce started the truck roared to life causing several heads to pop into the show room. He fine turned the engine before attaching a battery charger to the battery since it was almost dead from not being run. All it needed now was a good paint job; pride filled his smile as he stood back to admire his work.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Big Mike’s voice boomed through the corridor before he entered the room. “You got Fred kicking!”
“How’d he do that?” some salesman asked in the background.
“He’s a genius!” another one laughed.
“I got the job then,” Bruce grinned, trying to keep the cockiness from his tone.
“Yeah, if you can get Fred running you can probably make brand new cars out of our fixer-uppers.” Big Mike laughed patting him on the back. “Give me a number where I can reach you for emergencies and you can get started tomorrow.”
“I’ll bring the number with me tomorrow then,” he agreed. “Thanks Mike.”
Bruce returned to his new home with a smile on his face. The shower was calling his name as he began stripping out of his greasy clothes. Bags littered the table from his shopping trip earlier, reminding him that he would have to call for takeout or rummage through the fridge that was stocked with whatever fit Tony’s mood at the time he set up the warehouse for him. He was sliding out of his pants and fixing the leaver on the acid wash station so it would continuously run without Bruce having to hold it when a familiar voice echoed, “Hello, Dr. Banner.”
“Hello, sir. Ms. Potts is still at the office. She did inquire why you went out so early this morning,” Jarvis informed.
“And…”
“I told her you had an errand to run for your newest toy.”
Tony laughed, “Good boy, Jarvis.” He shrugged out of his jacket and shoes, “I did pick up some things for the Mark 42, and your new update is finally ready. You will be able to actually leave the house, big guy.”
“I've always been able to leave the house in the Iron Man suits, sir,” Jarvis stated. If he would’ve been a real man his eyes would have rolled as a sneer crossed his features.
"Yes, but this will be a lot different. See now you'll be able to see all the safe houses and monitor who comes and goes for me," Tony smiled.
"What don't I do for you, sir," Jarvis stated. “You should be nicer. I may end up sending you to the community college with Dummy!”
“You wouldn’t!” Tony could almost hear the mechanical laughter.
“Yeah, yeah. Can you work the coffee maker? I don’t feel like going back out for a coffee run, or dealing with Happy if I ask him. And Pepper is probably mad so you know she won’t.”
“It will be ready in approximately five minutes.”
“Perfect! Thank you, Jarvis. I’m probably going to go out again tomorrow morning. I’ll take the ‘new toy’ with me so you can tell Pepper that it’s a test run. Hopefully I’ll be back before she leaves for the office.”
“I’ll try to remember that, Mr. Stark.”
Tony smiled to himself as he heard the coffee maker gurgle to life. He plopped down on the couch before turning the television on to check the news. Another bombing of a tech lab was all over the screen. “The Mandarin has struck again,” the reporter yelled into the microphone. “When will these bombings stop!”
An aging oriental man, lacking hair on his head but not in his beard, appeared on the screen. His eyes a cold shade of black spoke volumes before he opened his mouth. “I am going to teach America a very valuable lesson…”
“You’re coffee is ready.”
“Do we know anything about this guy, Jarvis?” Tony questioned mindlessly pouring a cup, taking a sip, and adding a touch of brandy to it.
“We have not been informed, although Colonel James Rhodes has called several times this week.”
“Call him back; set up a lunch thing for me.” He took a few more sips of coffee. “You make horrible coffee, Jarvis. Don’t forget to check in with Bruce after you update in a few hours.”
Bruce walked along the sidewalk, window shopping for clothes that he would find comfortable. He pushed the dark sunglasses he found at the warehouse further up on his nose before pulling the black cap he stole from the barge lower. Something about being in a large crowd of people frightened him, but he knew he couldn’t spend time doing the same thing in that warehouse if Tony was going to continue to pop by unexpectedly.
Another thought crossed his mind, a thought he’d tried to push away more and more now that he was back in America. He could see those stunning blue eyes clearly as he could see the perfect blue sky. Had she cut her long, wavy chocolate hair? Betty Ross. Bruce knew he should probably go see the woman he considered the love of his life, but he was afraid. He didn’t give her time to process ‘the other guy’; there was no way of knowing how she felt about him. He couldn’t invade her life again, not just because he was still in love with her, because he couldn’t take it if she had moved on…
A light grey, short sleeved, button down shirt caught his attention on a nearby kiosk a pretty blonde haired girl was running. “She’s just Tony’s type,” he chuckled to himself as he approached the cart. He grabbed the grey shirt along with blue and green shirts of the same style, and the khaki draw string shorts. “Oh, those are going to look really good on you,” she winked before Bruce handed her a few bills. He blushed slightly as she wrote her number on his receipt while handing him his bags.
His money was running low, but he wasn’t too sure of what he could do in the area. Tony set Bruce up in the most remote place he could think of, which happened to be in the research facility part of town the only thing surrounding him was a lot of labs. A lab was definitely the last place on Earth he would ever considering working, there was one other thing. A used car shop wasn’t too far from the warehouse, and it wouldn’t be too bad or hard to get a mechanic’s position…
Bruce walked the five mile trip back to the warehouse before heading towards the dealership, a mile in the direction he bought clothes. Several men smiled waiting like vultures to sell him a beat up wreck. “I’m looking for the owner of the place,” he smiled as he continued walking towards the only air condition building on the lot.
“He’s in the back office, sir,” one of the men called as he walked into the building.
“If there’s a problem with the car we sold you, there was fine print in the contract saying ‘sold as is’ so I can’t help you,” a tall man with salt and pepper hair waltzed out of the back room. “If you’re looking for a good car, you’re in the right place,” his smile was nothing short ‘winning.’ If Satan had a human face, Bruce knew who he looked like.
“I can fix your problem,” Bruce stated. His short stature barely met the man’s shoulder, but his features were set and he made a point not to fidget.
“How’s that, sonny,” the older man chuckled.
“If you pay me under the table, I can fix up those clunkers outside. People won’t come back or try to sue you anymore.” Bruce stared into those cold, dark pits the man had for eyes.
“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” The corners of his mouth turned down as he leaned against the corner of a desk.
“I’ll fix one car for free. The rest, I want at least $50 a car for labor.”
The man’s eyes gleamed as he nodded, “I have just the car then.” He led Bruce into a dark show room before flipping on the lights. “This is old Fred. No one can get this car started. If you can, the job is yours.” Bruce nodded before the man handed him the keys.
“I’m Big Mike, if you get it working.” The man’s maniacal laughter filled the room.
“My name is Bob.” Bruce held his hand out causing Mike to laugh harder. He turned his eyes towards the floor, “Where’re the tools?” Mike pointed to a large red shelf/box before he took his laughter from the room.
Unlocking the door and popping the hood of the rusty red1960 Ford truck was easy. “Let’s see what’s wrong with you…” he trailed off turning the key in the ignition. There wasn’t a click to signal the starter worked.
Bruce climbed out of the driver’s seat before climbing under the hood. The battery cables were rusted, there was a hole in the air filter, it needed a new gasket, and the starter needed to be checked. He used to fix pipes and machine starters at the factory in Guatemala all the time, the air filter might be problematic, but the cables just needed scrubbing.
A metallic brush drew his attention from the engine; it was perfect for scrubbing the cables, so he fixed the battery first. He pulled out the starter before putting a sealer on the pipe to dry. The starter had two frayed wires which he fixed with electrical tape. Lastly, he pulled the air filter out, flushed the dirt, and found the hole. He noticed a bin marked spare parts; he shuffled through it until he found a similar air filter in good condition that needed to be cleaned.
Four hours after Bruce started the truck roared to life causing several heads to pop into the show room. He fine turned the engine before attaching a battery charger to the battery since it was almost dead from not being run. All it needed now was a good paint job; pride filled his smile as he stood back to admire his work.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Big Mike’s voice boomed through the corridor before he entered the room. “You got Fred kicking!”
“How’d he do that?” some salesman asked in the background.
“He’s a genius!” another one laughed.
“I got the job then,” Bruce grinned, trying to keep the cockiness from his tone.
“Yeah, if you can get Fred running you can probably make brand new cars out of our fixer-uppers.” Big Mike laughed patting him on the back. “Give me a number where I can reach you for emergencies and you can get started tomorrow.”
“I’ll bring the number with me tomorrow then,” he agreed. “Thanks Mike.”
Bruce returned to his new home with a smile on his face. The shower was calling his name as he began stripping out of his greasy clothes. Bags littered the table from his shopping trip earlier, reminding him that he would have to call for takeout or rummage through the fridge that was stocked with whatever fit Tony’s mood at the time he set up the warehouse for him. He was sliding out of his pants and fixing the leaver on the acid wash station so it would continuously run without Bruce having to hold it when a familiar voice echoed, “Hello, Dr. Banner.”
@BlackIce_Queen
I actually forgot about this story. I never actually finished it, but I have a lot of updates that aren't posted here.
4/11/15