+1 multi-personality genius, monster, superhero, fugitive, doctor

[doctorbrucebanner]

In one corner of Ten Forward, a man has taken his familiar spot, and sat there for some hours, with a break here or there. He has managed to stake out one table consistently, having figured the atmospheric content, the lighting, the temperature, and more, and deemed it suitable to his needs. There, various small pieces of machinery sat. They were his work, new designs of ideas from his world, technology that in some ways was more advanced than that which existed in this place and time, and reproduced, and mated with the concepts of this era's technology. He has been building these models to show how larger scale devices would work. Or to first make sure they work themselves.

Well, he's been here for two weeks now, and he's managed to make progress. He's managed to design one fully working model and that made him smile. The rest are still in various stages of work. In front of him, his PADD, his old cell-phone, and some pieces of Chitauri tech have been converted into a different kind of PADD, and laid flat on the table. Above it, a holographic screen hung, and there is where Bruce was currently working. He was working on equations to solve the inherent differences in energy source and structure between the two sciences.

His hands moved the hard light words and math around, as if working on a touch screen, and while he doesn't let the thought interrupt him, when he caught a glimpse of his now normal looking clothing, he felt a surge of gratitude for the fact that the Mardi Gras madness seemed to be ended.

Every now and then, he had been glancing around, looking to see if anyone else he knew was here. He had met Peggy, whom he had not known,. save by reputation, and Natasha, with whom he had... not a great relationship. And he had met one other, as well, and that one made him smile. Steve was a good man, honestly good. Bruce didn't agree with everything the man said, but he thought that Steve was one of the best humans he knew.

Despite this, he was unsure about meeting others. He was not really social, and he was not good at social... anything. But he kept his eyes open.

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[dust_of_life]

Fatima didn't like the alcohol on the ship. But if that was her one complaint, she reasoned, she was doing remarkably well. The views couldn't be beat and she had hot and cold running Matzo ball soup pretty much on demand. Her purse was filled with pears. And she was finally managing to get some sleep at night for the first time in forever.

It was just the alcohol that was wrong. And the memory of all the people she'd left behind in Zelien.

Sitting around the swanky space bar helped. There was always a lot of activity, and she was beginning to understand the difference between people like her and the 'Starfleet' types.

The man in the corner, though, now he was perplexing. She wasn't really sure which category to put him into, but there was something mesmerizing about watching him work. Like he was conducting a symphony. She had no idea what any of it did or meant or would lead to, but she couldn't help but stare a little bit.

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce tried not to think about the people he had left behind. He had, over his life, left entirely too many. It had been for different reasons, sometimes, even under his control. The Other Guy, though, had proven to be the reasons behind most of them. Betty, and The Avengers, and Coraline, The Blue kids, and Naomi, all, all had been left behind because he was too dangerous, too vulnerable, or two smart, and that was a danger in and of itself. And many times, they had been left behind because he was being chased, and had changed into the Other Guy, and then lost them.

But if asked, he would have to admit, he knew where they were. There wasn't much that modern science could hide from him when he set his mind to it, and so he had, and he knew where they all were. But danger and being chased persisted, and fear persisted most of all, and so he did not call a single one.

Instead, he worked, as he did now. Now, when he was working on the holographic surface with an intense focus, trying to make his ideas and designs work. Now, when he was constantly feeling a sense of being watched, and being stared at, even if he knew that no one here knew who or what he was.

Now, when he felt it again, and glanced around, a lifetime of paranoia that was justified, most of the time, pushing him to do so.

When he spotted the woman actually staring at him, he jumped a little, and stared back, panic hitting for a moment, before reality set in, and he shook his head and gave her a tentative smile.

[dust_of_life]

Time was, Fatima had been one of the best at tailing, at being subtle, at keeping herself invisible right up to the kill (or capture or confrontation or whatever). The multiverse had given her something that she never expected to have again: A sense of wonder. And if she sacrificed a little tact for that, well, she could deal.

She did feel a little guilty at seeing him startled, though. Because, seriously. Rude.

Fatima smiled back at him when he composed himself, trying her best to make it a smile that wasn't scary. She had a few of those in her stable. Attitude was everything when you were facing down Cainites six times your age and power.

Since she figured it was clear to all parties that she was staring, she decided she'd try being sociable. It couldn't hurt. It was important to have allies in the multiverse and she genuinely wanted to know what he was up to.

Sliding off of her seat, she made her way over. She went out of her way to make sure her heels clacked slightly. Not threatening. Not stealthy. Not dangerous. And the first words out of her mouth were an apology. "Sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to stare."

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce smiled, his cheeks heating to a reddish color, and he ducked his head in something like a nod, his anxiety always there, but not exactly flaring right now. It wasn't every day that a beautiful woman walked up to you, and he hoped he did not make a fool of himself because of that. She, and anyone, deserved more than that. He focused his mind on her words, and smiled more naturally as he relaxed, looking up to meet her eyes.

"It's okay. It's an occupational hazard of being a sciencengineer in an open area. Sooner or later when you look up, someone will be looking at you. The hope is that they are not mad, or about to poke your device when it happens." He offered her a apologetic smile.

"And it's okay. I tend to cause scenes." Bruce wore a replicated shirt and pants that were comfortable, for the first time in a long time.

[dust_of_life]

"No scene," Fatima said, waving her hand dismissively. "I was just wondering if you were building a nuclear bomb or directing traffic." Which, obviously, would look totally the same.

Fatima was not scientific by nature.

She held up a hand. "No poking, promise"

[doctorbrucebanner]

His smile was a little more firm now, as confidence grew, but uncertainty jabbered at his brain as he took a long breath, and looked at her. What if he mis-spoke? He would not, probably. But what if he did? He shoved it aside and nodded to her, doing his best to shove all hose worries aside.

"Neither, I'm afraid. I'm working on modelling technologies from my world, using the technology of this world, creating a fusion of the two to show how they would work together." He waved at the holographic screen. "If it works, I can actually contribute here more than being a doctor or a shadowy presence."

[dust_of_life]

In Fatima's world, one could never underestimate a shadowy presence.

Usually because they were trying to stab you in the back, but they had their uses too. There were plenty of members of the Order who could obfuscate themselves.

She frowned a little, a line forming between her eyes. "Sorry, I don't speak science very fluently. What, exactly, is modeling technology?"

Because the image in her head involved Calvin Klein models using smart phones.

[whereishe]

Yuna had known a different Bruce but she immediately saw similarities. He was quietly working and just as anti-social as she remembered, though she knew that he wouldn't know her. She thought not to approach but then she never really listened to sense when it came to these sort of things. She slowly approached Her fingers nervously lacing together.

"Excuse me." Once she interrupted him she wasn't sure what to say. "What.. er.. um.. I'm Yuna."

She was usually good at talking to people. She had run into Steve and others she knew it hadn't been so odd but then she didn't have anything to talk about that didn't start with 'so I knew you from another place I was stuck'. Which wasn't a very good conversation starter.

"What are you working on?"

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce glanced up, and took in her hesitant style, and gave her an unsure smile. "Yes, miss?" He smiled more confidently when she stated her name and asked her question.

"At the moment, I'm working on a self-inducing schism cell, to create a partial subspace field around the scanner I'm going to put it in, so as to allow faster-than-warp communication with modern databases." He smiled at her.

[whereishe]

Yeah, that was definitely Bruce. Yuna blinked once and then again before speaking. "Can you explain that.. again?" She didn't know if he would be willing to simplify his explanation but she was curious now and she wanted to know what that meant.

The only technology that Yuna had a lot of experience with was the were gears and guns or whatever happened to be in the machina that Rikku had showed her. Her drive to learn was big but she didn't know very much.

[doctorbrucebanner]

"Er, I'm using modern and my world's tech to create a device which will create it's own way to communicate across long distances with other computers." He looked up at her hopefully. He was not always the best at explaining things.

[whereishe]

Yuna clasped her hands together with a smile. "Got it!" That made sense though she couldn't understand the purpose for something like that here. She thought all of the ships computers were the same system? Someone had explained it to her.

"So what would you use that for?" It might have been a silly question but he had Yuna's curiosity now.

[doctorbrucebanner]

"Excellent!" Bruce smiled at her warmly. Well done.

"Well, I'm hoping to learn the technology here and possibly see if integrating the tech from back home would help advance and improve it. If so, to build models and then build actual tech to explain that, and for all of that, I need access. Unrestricted and untraced, whenever I want it." Bruce nodded. "I keep odd hours."

[tryit]

"Dr. Banner?"

It's been a few days since her own arrival to the starship Enterprise and Kate's done everything in her power to make herself feel at home. So far, it's been relatively easy all things considered. That she's so recently spent time on Noh's ship probably helps with that. Though she's staked out her own corner of the temporary guest quarters, she prefers to spend most of her time in the Ten Forward.

People watching galore. It's almost as good as sitting in a Starbucks in the Village.

She's been watching him for a while now, trying to place the face. For all she spends time with Clint, there are still some Avengers she's not exactly on close terms with. Besides, when she usually sees him, he's a bit more hulked out.

Kate grins as she helps herself to a seat across from him. "Kate Bishop. Hawkeye." She holds out a hand in greeting. "I don't think we've ever actually been formally introduced."

[doctorbrucebanner]

Raising his head cautiously, because hearing his name spoken was as often a bad thing as a good one, in his life, he saw the young looking woman and smiled, slowly, nodding to her. "Yes, ma'am?"

Her words made him blink a bit. As did her casually sitting across from him. He instinctively met her hand with his own, and shook, noting her hand's similarity to that of one other person he knew. Even so,m he is quizzical. "Ah... no, we haven't. Isn't Agent Barton named Hawkeye?"

Confusion showed in his eyes for a moment, then he snapped his fingers. "Ahhh. An alternate universe. " He looked up from the space he had been staring at for a moment and smiled warmer now. "Sorry, I think I may not be the Bruce you know, but it's nice to meet you anyway."

[tryit]

"Clint's the other Hawkeye," she explains, grinning when realization dawns. That he's from an alternate universe doesn't bother her at all. Not with all that universe hopping she's done lately. It just means that he really doesn't know who she is.

That's cool. That's something that she can deal with. "At least, where I come from. So, do you still hulk out like the one back home?"

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce winced at her wording, but nodded with a sigh. "Yes, but most of the time, it's controllable right now. Unless I get hit by a lot of pain suddenly, or rage." He smiled lopsidedly. He could deal with this.

...probably.

"So no version of me is free from the Other Guy?" It had been a vain hope.

[tryit]

"If there is," Kate begins with a shrug, "I haven't met him yet."

Or heard anything indicating otherwise.

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce nodded, and pushed it aside. "Have you been around here long?" There had been quite a bit of madness around the ship in the last month. He hoped she had escaped it. He had, mostly. Save for some clothing switching.

[bestpal]

Bucky hears that Doctor Banner is on the ship from the others, and for awhile, he stays away, assessing the risks. He is eventually drawn in by the use of technology. His metal arm is hidden by a long sleeved shirt, and the hand is tucked in the pocket of his jeans.

""Hello Doctor Banner."

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce looked up, hands pausing as he looked at the other man. There was something about that face. Something... and then he nodded. His memory snapped into place, and he swallowed, coming to his feet and waving at the chair across from him.

"Welcome. I heard you were here." It wasn't every day you met a living legend. Well... one you didn't know from fighting with them.

He smiled, almost shyly, as he nodded. "Can I order you something to drink?" One hand was against his chest, not because of anything Bucky did, but because anxiety has a bad tendency to catch him off-guard, and he wanted to be ready for it.

[bestpal]

"Water." Bucky isn't very imaginative when it comes to his drinks, he likes to avoid any external stimulation on his reactions or thoughts.

"Steve has told me about you," he adds as he slides into the seat, and examines the doctored up PADD. "He says you are a good man."

[doctorbrucebanner]

Bruce waved for a waiter and ordered a pitcher of water and two glasses, moving his stuff to one side.

"It's nice to meet you."

He was surprised by that next line. But then he shouldn't have been, he knew. People always surprised him. "Most of it might be true, coming from him. Anyone else, I wouldn't be sure." Bruce hesitated, but shrugged. "I hope I can live up to even that. How are you liking this place?"

[bestpal]

Bucky assesses how Bruce moves, there is a nervous energy to him, and in his current form he poses no threat. It is second nature to assess everyone around him.

"I trust Steve's judgement, if he likes you, that is good enough for me." He quirks a smile. "Sometimes this ship doesn't feel real."

[doctorbrucebanner]

"Thanks." Bruce nodded at Bucky's second comment. "Yeah. The weird thing is... the tech is both ahead of us and behind us, the tech we had in our time, I mean. So there is a disconnect, somewhere. Maybe their universe developed more slowly."

It was one of many theories that could explain it.

"When was it back on Earth for you, before you came here?"