He admitted that Natasha's performance had exceeded his initial expectations. But that admission only served as fuel, igniting an even stronger desire to conquer her.
So what if she had seen through him? So what if she understood? Within this Steel Fortress under his control, deep beneath the sea, beneath the surveillance Skynet he had woven, she was still trapped in a cage.
The rules of the game were still set by Stark. Her clarity and resistance had merely turned this cat-and-mouse game from a one-sided crushing into a more interesting contest. He liked challenges.
Just as Tony's mind raced, assessing the variables Natasha had brought and beginning to devise an even more sophisticated "test" for the next step, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s eternally steady, crisp synthesized voice, tinged with a British accent, rang out in the control area, its volume blending perfectly into the background hum:
"Sir, Dr. Bruce Banner has arrived at the main airlock chamber and is completing disinfection and secondary biometric verification. He is expected to enter the Core Area in two minutes. Would you like me to connect you to the chamber's communications, or prepare a drink?"
It was J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice, always so courteous, always providing the necessary information at precisely the right moment.
"Banner's finally here."
Tony's eyes lit up, and his lips curled once more into that signature smile, a blend of excitement and amusement. The brief sense of frustration Natasha had brought was instantly cast aside.
Bruce's arrival meant that his grand "Insight" plan was about to enter a brand-new, far more thrilling stage of practical implementation.
He needed Banner's one-of-a-kind mind. He needed his command over Gamma energy, Bio-fields, and that astonishing intellect hidden beneath the rampaging fury. He needed his friend, his partner.
Tony practically sprang from his hovering chair, his movements brisk