The Watcher's low hum in Alex's head had become like a second heartbeat. It was a constant companion, a quiet reminder of the huge, terrifying universe out there and the big problems Earth still had to face. He'd just finished dealing with Thor's arrival, making it a bit smoother for everyone. But now, his mind was totally focused on the next big headache he knew was coming: Bruce Banner and his monstrous alter-ego, the Hulk.
Alex remembered the stories, the movies. General Ross, obsessed with catching Banner. The smashing, the chaos, and then Emil Blonsky turning into the terrifying Abomination, tearing up Harlem. It was a total disaster in the original timeline, with so much damage and so many innocent people hurt. Alex couldn't stop Ross, no way. And he certainly couldn't stop Banner from becoming the Hulk. But maybe, just maybe, he could make things a little less destructive. Maybe he could help Banner control that monster inside him, even a tiny bit. Or at least make the Abomination less of a nightmare.
He sat in his hideout, surrounded by his glowing screens. His brain, super-charged with all that advanced science and strategy, was working overtime. He needed to find a way to quietly push Banner toward a solution for his gamma problem. Or, if that was too hard, give the military some ideas for handling the Hulk and the Abomination without causing a city-wide meltdown.
He started digging through public scientific papers. He was looking for anything, even the tiniest scrap, on how to calm aggressive behavior using chemicals, or how to handle intense energy. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but his enhanced journal made it much faster. He finally found a pretty dull university paper on "Advanced Biochemistry and Cellular Regeneration." It was basic, really, just some theories about how cells heal. But it had the right idea, the perfect starting point.
This is it, he thought, picking up a digital copy of the paper on his journal. The Watcher's hum got deeper, almost like a low growl, pushing him forward. Control. Stability. Less smashing! He focused all his energy on the paper, pouring his intent into it.
As his fingers brushed the glowing text on his journal, the hum turned into a powerful thrum, making the air around him vibrate. The paper didn't physically change, of course. Instead, all its words and diagrams dissolved into a super-complex stream of data. Then, it reformed inside his mind, turning into a crazy sophisticated biochemical formula. It was a formula for something that could calm a raging beast, something that could soak up dangerous energy.
The clear, calm voice resonated directly in his mind, echoing with a new, scientific authority:
"Item: University Biochemistry Paper (Digital). Action: Enhance. Reward: 10x Enhanced 'Neuro-Chemical Stabilizer & Targeted Gamma Radiation Dissipation Protocol.' Capabilities: Theoretical Calming Agent (reduces Hulk's aggression), Controlled Gamma Energy Absorption (reduces collateral damage), Pre-emptive Transformation Suppression. Note: Cannot be re-used for 10x reward."
Alex felt the familiar mental drain, like his brain had just run a marathon and solved a million puzzles at the same time. But he barely noticed. This was HUGE! A theoretical calming agent for the Hulk! And methods to actually absorb gamma energy! This could stop so much destruction.
Now, the trickiest part: how to get this to Banner? The guy was practically a ghost himself, always on the run. And he definitely couldn't just walk up to General Ross and hand him a USB stick with "HULK CALMING JUICE" on it. That would just get him caught, or worse, get the formula used for evil.
He thought hard. He couldn't risk direct contact. So, he decided to be super sneaky. He would anonymously upload a sanitized version of this data. That meant stripping out anything that screamed "this is for a giant green rage monster" and making it look like a regular, but very advanced, scientific breakthrough. He'd upload it to a public, but still secure, online research database. This database was used by all sorts of independent bio-engineering companies and military research groups. He was hoping some smart, ethical scientist might stumble upon it, recognize its potential, and maybe, just maybe, it would eventually find its way to Banner himself. Or, it could subtly push the military to focus on containing gamma energy, rather than trying to create more Abominations.
He worked for hours, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. He built tons of digital camouflage, sending the data through countless ghost servers all over the world. He made sure there was absolutely no way to trace it back to him. The data package was like a digital whisper, floating out into the world, meant only for the right ears.
Every little bit helps, Alex thought, the Watcher's hum a steady, urging pulse in his head. This isn't just about winning the big war. It's about saving as many people as possible along the way. He was getting better at this whole "Architect" thing, becoming more proactive, planting seeds that would grow into lifelines for this world.
He hit the upload button. The process was fast, quiet, and left no trace on his end. The enhanced gamma data was now out there, waiting.
The next few weeks were another nail-biter. Alex kept his eyes glued to news reports from Brazil, where Banner was known to be hiding, and then to New York, where the big fight happened. He was looking for any subtle changes, any hints that his intervention had made a difference.
He saw the reports when the Hulk eventually showed up. The smashing was still there, of course. But… it felt different. The destruction in the favela in Brazil, while still bad, seemed marginally less widespread than he remembered. When Banner finally made it to New York, and the Abomination appeared, the fight was still terrifying, a true monster mash. But the collateral damage, the buildings smashed, the roads torn up… it wasn't quite as horrific. It was like the edges of the chaos had been ever-so-slightly dulled.
He also noticed a subtle shift in the military's approach. While General Ross was still obsessed, there were hints in leaked reports that some of his research scientists were now more focused on "energy dissipation" rather than pure "bio-weaponization." It was a tiny change, but it was there. Maybe his anonymous data had nudged them.
And Banner himself… when the dust settled, Alex saw a blurry news photo of him, looking exhausted but with a certain quiet resolve. Maybe the internal calming agent had actually helped, even if just a little. The Hulk was still a force of nature, but perhaps now, a slightly more predictable force of nature.
It worked, Alex thought, a grim satisfaction settling in his gut. The relief was immense. He'd helped. He'd nudged. He'd lessened the impact. It wasn't a perfect fix, but it was a step.
He closed his eyes, leaning back against his chair. The world was still a dangerous place, heading for even bigger fights. But thanks to his unseen hand, Tony Stark now had a better Arc Reactor, Jane Foster had a head start on cosmic physics, and Bruce Banner, and the military, just might have a tiny bit more control over the Gamma beast. The Architect was slowly, painstakingly, building the foundations of a stronger Earth, one subtle, crucial intervention at a time. The cosmic storm was coming, but this world was slowly, surely, becoming ready.