There were men and women running back and forth with pained, professional, terrified expressions on their faces. Some held folders, some held guns, some held technology that Ben couldn't recognize. Others, the more seasoned agents, stood with grim expressions as they analyzed, criticized, and discussed the varying global threats that appeared with regularity on each of the many monitors that scattered almost all of the rooms of the helicarrier. The voice on the intercom was crisp, efficient, and impatient. Everyone had someplace to be.

And Ben stood chatting with a janitor outside of the bathroom, a cheery old man wearing tinted sunglasses (and remarkably well-dressed for a custodian.) Ben himself was smiling, relaxed and pleased with the casual conversation. Whatever reason SHIELD had for inviting him up onto Phil's Moving Castle was of some degree of interest to Ben. He was, after all, in the interest of helping people, a service which SHIELD frequently helped to streamline.

Ben heard his name boomed over the intercom, heard the commanding voice insist that he report to the helm. So he bid his new friend goodbye and made his way there, hands in his pockets, smiling softly and warmly at everyone he passed. 

He suspected that this wouldn't last, but that never kept him from enjoying it. He was, after all, rather invested in keeping his cool.

Information scrolled by on the datapad. James was reading over it and looking at the facts and figures. This pad contained the sum of Green Lantern's knowledge on the super powered drug. The Flash had been kind enough to bring the information to Lydia and it had been passed on to both James and Batman. After some careful consideration, he decided to call in an expert from outside the field.

Benjamin Gerring, though not a doctor, was one of the closest things that James could get to an expert without tracking down Bruce Banner himself. He'd been nice enough to accept the invitation and James had sent some non-threatening agents to bring him up. He didn't want to upset anyone with the Hulk's level of rage. Especially, on the currently airborne Helicarrier.

After completing a few checks of various systems, James looked around. He pulled the mask of his costume down and looked over to the Yeoman. "Send for Mr. Gerring. Have him come directly to the helm, please." The Yeoman nodded and went over to the intercom. It was odd for James to have staff at his service, but Phil had put the entire Helicarrier staff at his disposal for this project. It was interesting to say the least.

James turned to greet the man as he walked on the bridge. "Welcome to the Helicarrier, Mr. Gerring. My name is James Coulson. I'm sorry to bring you here on short notice, I know you have a life to attend to. I have a scientific matter that I need your opinion on. To be brief, I need your help."

Ben smiled politely and extended one hand, the other still stuffed in his (dirty, secondhand) jacket pocket.

"No problem, Mr. Coulson. " Ben's smile widened as he looked around, concluding his quick once-over with a good-humored "not bad" expression.

"And thanks for the escort, too, man. I do appreciate the tasteful use of nonviolence." Ben was comfortable enough to speak jovially at this point, having been treated kindly by everyone he'd met on the carrier. The fact that the Captain was interacting with him directly wasn't lost upon him, though, so he made a gracious effort to infuse his easygoing attitude with just a mite of professionalism.

"So..." Ben meandered over to a nearby chair and settled into it slowly. "I gather by your use of the word 'scientific' that you need me to do some lab work as opposed to field work. I gotta say I'm relieved. So whadda we got? And tell me I won't have to do long division." He was still smiling in his unworried way. Best case scenario, he'd be doing some real good here. Worst case, he'd already mapped out a way to bust out without initiating an airlock that might cost lives.

"Well, you are a guest here. I'd prefer to use non-violent means for this sort of thing." James said after shaking the man's hand. He watched the man also called Hulk sometimes go sit in a chair. Cap followed and sat down next to him. Ben seemed to have a laid back attitude. That worked fine for James. He spent far too much time around uptight people.

"No, don't worry. We have Captain Marvel for long division and hitting things." He said with a smile. "I'm going to be entirely honest with you here. I'm a little out of my depth, so I'll tell you what I know and then you can give me your opinion." There was a pause. "Also, I will again add that you are a guest here. Your participation is optional. If you would prefer not to participate after hearing me out, that's fine and you're welcome to leave with no ill will between us."

Cap punched a few keys and a data display came up on a holoscreen. James showed that data from the fight with the Doomsday creature and then the information from the Hulk wannabe known as Bruno. Then he went into detail elaborating about the encounters and how these events happened. "And so, we've come to realize that someone is manufacturing these drugs for just this reason. They seem to give their users super powers for 20 minutes. But they seem to be unstable knock offs of the originals. Which leads me to believe they're still perfecting the formula."

"Point being, I have an engineering background. I'm not really good with chemistry or biology. I figure this might be more up your alley. I was hoping that you could look at all the data that Green Lantern gathered and give me your opinion on it. Maybe see if there's something that you could do to reverse engineer the stuff and see what makes it tick so that, ideally, we can find a way to counteract it."

There was a quiet pause as James gave Ben a moment to digest all of this information. Then he began speaking, "I know that you have a life that you actively participate in, so if you do decide to help, all of SHIELD's resources are yours. All our labs, whatever you need. And you will also be compensated with a generous stipend for your help as a consultant."

"Oh, well, hey- if the stipend is generous, I guess I can take the time to keep monstrous drug addicts from conquering the streets." The comment was made in a barely defensive tone, and jokingly. Still, Ben admitted to himself that he could probably do more with the money he'd earn from this than with whatever he could usually scrap together.

His face fell slightly when he saw the images of the Doomsday creature and Hulkling flash across the screen.

"Where was this?"

His mind was already mostly focused on generating an artificial method of transferring his own powers to another, and how he could study the nature of his transformations to see if he could learn anything applicable.

He focused on James' eyes. "I'll do what I can. Gimme what you got."

Whatever these things were, they had to be stopped. He already felt a thin twinge of anger at the thought of what these junkies could do in a crowded neighborhood. 

Or what you could, he thought before shaking those thoughts free of his head.

"And show me to the lab."

When Ben made the comment, James raised an eyebrow. He held up a hand and spoke softly. "I'm not trying to buy you off. It's a temporary arrangement, but I know that you will need time to work. I'm just compensating you for your time. Like any other professional we'd ask to help with. There's no restrictions on what you can do with the money. Pay some bills, buy a car, help out your favorite homeless shelter. Whatever you want. I just want your help and I'm not looking to press you into service. This isn't the Manhattan Project"

The reaction was genuine. James decided that Mr. Gerring must not watch much news. "Well, these are two separated incidents. The Doomsday creature was a thug that we encountered on an OP in Gotham. Myself, Captain Marvel, Blue Bat and Batman and Robin ended up taking it down." There was a pause while James let Ben absorb that. "The second creature, the Hulk-looking one was encountered by Flash and Green Lantern in Coast City. The two Titans managed to find one of their smuggling operations and tracked it back to a distribution plant of some kind."

"While I don't really condone their cowboy methods, the two of them managed to gather a massive amount of data on the drug itself and the reaction it has on both normal physiologies and The Flash's own enhanced physiology. Their mission alone yielded more information than we've gotten in several encounters. As well as samples of the drug itself, which they captured from a cargo container." Cap gestured for the man to follow him.

As they exited the bridge, James walked slightly ahead to guide them to the nearby labs. "The drugs we've seen don't seem to be limited just to monstrous forms. The Flash and GL fought someone who possessed psychokinesis and we've seen about a dozen other encounters in the field. People inject the drugs and they seem to be able to possess superpowers for a period of time. Roughly, 20 minutes or so." James stopped at a door and keyed in a code. The door opened and the lights in the compartment came on. "This is one of the most advanced labs in the world, Mr. Gerring. It and anything else you need to solve the problem are at your disposal."

Ben's gaze remained steady as the lights turned up in the lab. His stray thoughts (they know about the shelter and of course they do and maybe in the chromosomes? Or maybe the powers are activated even deeper...) dissipated quickly as he looked around the enormous room. He recognized most of the machinery, and although much of it would probably go to waste during his investigation, he could still appreciate the value of it. I could do a lotta good in this room, Ben thought.

He walked over to a nearby table and took his jacket off. He rolled his shirt sleeves up. He tapped the table twice eagerly, then looked up at James.

"What do you know about the two attackers? Are they known criminals? Personal histories? Affiliations?" Ben was at a console now, pulling up footage of the two attacks. He spread the display so it could be seen from the nearby chair, to which he wandered, eyes still fixed on the screen. Then he started unraveling a cord that lay on another nearby table. "And the Flash data..." He finished attaching the cord to the bag that hung near the chair before seating himself comfortably. Before drawing the blood, however, he pulled up the files James spoke of on a nearer console that stood beside the drip. Then, watching the footage and reading the Flash and Lantern data simultaneously, he attached the tube to his wrist and watched it for a moment as his blood started to fill the bag.


Then his eyes returned to James. "And those kids are alright? Flash and Lantern? They fought a Hulk..."

Ben was now staring at the display showing him the enraged Hulkling on a loop. Can't be much younger than I am... he thought. And the creature looked enough like The Other Guy that Ben had cause to be deeply concerned. He hoped his own blood could give him some clues, a place to start. He stayed calm and loose as the blood dripped first down, then up into the bag.

As James watched Ben, he smirked. Ben gave no reaction to the mention of the shelter. That was amusing. They had only become aware of it because an extraterrestrial had touched down there and then been seen in the company of the known criminal Red Hood. That was actually how they'd found this particular gentleman as the scans revealed the presence of gamma based energy as well. James tapped the datapad.

"Both of those gentlemen and the pyro were all criminals. I just transferred all three files to your system. They seem to be affiliated with several criminal groups, but more in a henchmen capacity than anything else. We're still attempting to connect their current activities to any one group, but it seems that certain elements have been purchased from several like AIM, HIVE and a few others. This seems to be a new group of some kind."

The concern that Ben showed was admirable. Cap gave him another smile. "Flash suffered some broken ribs, which I'm probably not supposed to know about and Green Lantern suffered a broken wrist. We were lucky. This Hulk was nowhere near as powerful as the original or even the one that you periodically change into. That's what leads me to believe the formula is incomplete or unstable. And the 20 minute rule seemed to hold true here. Flash hit him so hard that he knocked him to the Nile River in Egypt. By the time he came around, it had worn off and he was in a cell back here. We've performed tests on all three subjects. There doesn't seem to be lasting effects. They can't seem to change without the drug."

"I don't approve of their methods, but those two are okay fighters."

Ben listened attentively to James as he provided the information he had asked for, smiling slightly at the mention of the duo's flamboyant fighting escapades. The Nile? he thought, and chuckled.

He then opened the files on the criminals James had offered.

He's right, Ben thought. There's nothing about them that would lead to an obvious collaboration between AIM... and HIVE... except...


"Who's this?" Ben swiveled the display to show James the face of a man who had reportedly been a member of the two mentioned groups, as well as HYDRA. Not to mention, Ben recognized his face as the one which had morphed into the Hulkling. "The other... Other Guy. He's got to know at least a little more than the others. Do you have him?"

The blood drip stropped and Ben detached his arm and stood up. He immediately deposited his blood sample in several vials, storing all but one, which he brought to a machine. Placing the vial in a tight receptacle, he then turned to James.

"I ask only because I need his blood." He smiled conspiratorially and shrugged. "Y'know. For science."

You could tell a lot about a man just from observing him. James observed Ben as he took in all the details that he passed on to the gamma powered scientist. Cap could tell that gears were turning and a line of questioning was forming. There was a slight wince as he looked down at the IV bag. There was an initial fear when Ben pierced himself, but James was getting over it. Last time he saw blood, there had been quite a bit. All of it his own.

"His name is Bruno Pagglici. Mostly hires himself out as muscle to the groups in there. Near as we can tell, broken home life, never really went past high school and even then only barely. In and out of correctional facilities for most of his adult life. He's pretty much the poster boy for thugs are us. It's hard to say if any of them know anything. It seems like some of the thugs were given product in case they encountered us. Either to deal with us or as a test of some kind."

Cap gave Ben a quick nod. "Pagglici is a holding cell here along with Victor Warner. He's the Pyro from the footage. They are both in holding cells on the detention level. The Doomsday guy, one Ike Rosenthal, is hanging out in a secure medical bay. We did a number on him to try and stop him and he's trying to recover. The regenerative powers of the drugs started fixing him, but wore off when the drugs ran their course. I can get you access to their blood or even interviews with them if you need them."

"I do." Ben's face was slightly more serious now. "Bruno first, but the rest after. And if you could have the blood sent here to the lab, that'd speed things up." Ben walked over the table upon which his jacket was strewn and threw it around his shoulders and shrugging it comfortably into place.

He liked talking to people more than he liked hitting them. That had always been the case. He hoped that being incarcerated here on the Helicarrier would render these men in particular more willing to participate in a discussion. This reassuring thought lightened his mood as he turned to James.

"Show me the way, Cap'n."

As they walked, Ben (as always) with his hands in his pockets, he asked James a few more questions, reemploying his typical, easygoing tone. He was easing into a friendly relationship with this man, who had achieved so much for the good of so many people.

"Or should I call you James? Or does anyone call you James?" Ben gave him a jovial smile, as if to indicate that they could share the joke.

"How long you been saving the world, man? Long enough to give you the keys to the car, I guess. I dunno if I've told you yet, but I really appreciate the work SHIELD does. I mean, the world does- or should. But you personally." Ben looked over casually, with sincerity, at the other man as they walked.

Listening to the requests made by Ben, James spoke briefly into a mic and ordered the blood drawn and sent back to the lab. He'd promised Ben whatever he needed and James would follow through on that. The main idea of this was to get Ben's help, but also to test him. Cap was always looking for some new talent to suggest to Ginnie. His goal was always to expand the team roster. And they could use a Hulk. Who couldn't?

James played guide to Ben, bringing him down the corridors and through a few lifts on their way to the secure wing of the helicarrier. "Either works. Honestly, very few people see past the stars and stripes long enough to call me James. Most stick with Cap or Captain. Feel free to call me James if you'd like. All my friends do."

There was a pause as he let a device project a scanning beam at him. The small panel turned green and a door to a new lift opened, while a computer voice said "Welcome, Commander Coulson." The device briefly scanned Ben and the panel turned red. "Override. Provisional security clearance. Coulson Alpha Alpha four Delta Tango." The computer beeped a confirmation and the panel turned green, before the lift got underway.

"I've been doing it for the last eight or nine years. The director's a prominent figure in my life. I trained with SHIELD out of high school and took over as Captain America when I saw the world needed one. I currently hold the rank of Commander as far as most Agents are concerned, but that's more for bureaucracy than anything else. Mostly, I exist outside the command structure, but occasionally I have to give orders." It wasn't an outright lie. That was the cover that he and Phil had agreed on and that was who he continued to be if anyone asked. The Winter Soldier days were behind him and classified.

There was a quick exchange of salutes and Cap escorted Ben into the cell block. "This cell is Pagglici's. We won't go inside just yet." James touched a panel with his hand and the metal wall turned transparent. "You two will be able to make two way conversation through this wall. He can hear you and vice versa."

Arriving at the cell, Ben was smiling in response to James's warm, expository responses.

"James it is!"

As the door slid open to allow them both to communicate, Ben was surprised at what he saw. The man inside had a black eye and sat with his legs hanging over the side of a bare-looking cot. He had a newly-wrapped bandage around his right arm from which blood had been extracted recently.

"Thank you, James."

Ben drew a nearby chair over to the window and sat in front of it. The man on the other side made no effort to acknowledge Ben, so Ben spoke before more than a few seconds had passed.

"Mr. Pagglici, my name is Ben Gerring. I want to know more about the meta-drug you took. What it's made of, what it felt like, where you got it- anything, really. We need to get it off the streets. It's obviously very dangerous, and we-"

Ben trailed off slowly as he realized that the man wasn't listening. In fact, he had lay on the cot with his back turned to Ben and James both. Ben looked down at his feet for a moment before standing. He turned to James, his eyes pleading.

"Can I go inside?"

Ben had lived with his own demons long enough to empathize with the man. Suspended in a prison miles above any home he could even still believe he had, it was no wonder the man in the cell was despondent. Ben felt sorry for him, and he felt he had more than just a little to learn from the prisoner in front of him.

The smiling and the warm responses weren't exactly what James was expecting from Ben. According to the files he had on Bruce Banner, he usually tended to be withdrawn and quiet. James mostly figured that was due to what he occasionally turned into. Ben was entirely the opposite. He turned into a big green monster, but he was a very personable guy. It was an interesting dichotomy the man lived. James watched Ben pull up a chair and start speaking to the man. He hoped that Ben had better luck. So far, they'd gotten nothing out of the man and were talking about using drugs and enhanced methods.

"He's been rather non-responsive to our questioning, since he came to be our guest here. We were debating using more enhanced methods than just asking. We have some truth drugs that might help."

The request startled James more than anything else. He knew that Ben would be okay in the cell. Nothing Pagglici did to Ben would even phase him. It was the other guy Ben shared headspace with that concerned James. There was also the question as to whether or not the man in the cell would be able to change again after use of the drug. They'd only seen him use it once, but they were unsure of how many actual times it happened and if his physiology had been altered. A relapse even into a mock Hulk would do some damage. And there were now two in this block. James' job was to preserve the security of the Helicarrier and the lives on board. But he also had a duty to the victims of this new drug. He stared at Ben. "Do you think that's wise, Doctor Gerring? He's a convicted criminal. He may be dangerous. And not just to you."

James hoped the look he was giving Ben implied the things he wasn't saying.

At the mention of truth drugs, Ben looked James in the eyes with renewed focus, and shook his head.

"You don't need to do that, James." His voice was sad and calm. He hadn't been able to convey the sense of sympathy he held for the man in the cell, but of course he understood James's concern.

"It'll be okay," Ben sad as he clapped James softly on the back. 

***

Ben picked up the chair and brought it into the cell with him. Placing it a respectful distance away from the cot on which the man was still lying, Ben sat on the chair and gripped his hands within each other, letting them and his head hang loosely. When he finally picked his head up, the man had turned lazily on the cot to face him. His eyes, and indeed, the whole expression of his body represented an utter lack of willpower. Ben met the other's miserable gaze before beginning to speak softly and quietly.

"You're trapped." The statement was frank and sincere, and not at all threatening. "I get it. I am too. I've done terrible, terrible things. I think people have died because of what I am. I'm not even sure," -A deep but short breath- "But that's my best guess. Hey," Ben leaned back in his chair and waved his hand in a dismissive motion. "Maybe I'm wasting my time here. I don't know. But if you want to help us, and if you want to save people... you can. Most people can't. But in my experience... well, if you care to start paying it back, it's not as hard as you think."