Ahoy everyone, this is Foxmorgoth, as followers of supersandman86'sand Rumbling Night Cutter's joint work 'Iron Fury' are aware I am now part their joint venture in rewriting the top animated features over the past four to five years akin to Marvel's Avengers' Continuum (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Solider, etc). As supersandman86 and Rumbling Night Cutter have 'Iron Fury' for the most part covered I am starting 'The Incredible Hulk' equivalent with Eugene 'Flynn Rider' Fitzherbert as Bruce Banner/The Hulk... and maybe another Avenger may or may not make his/her debut
The Tangled Flynn
Prologue: "The day I died"
Two people wearing the stereotypical white lab coats are working in a highly advanced laboratory. One is a man clearly in his late-twenties, early-thirties at most, with light brown hair styled to match the famous movie swordsman Errol Flynn, he had slight stubble for his facial hair and had this smirk on his face a subtle implication to his overall confidence, he has the overall look of Zachary Levi facially with some Errol Flynn and Harrison Ford during the making of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' thrown in, in another life he would have been a thief with the dream of owning an island and not working the rest of his life and the other a woman... she could not have been more nineteen well by looking at her... granted she'd may resemble a croaky innocent Mandy Moore, with long blonde hair that even with all its braiding still goes to just below her knees, however she gave the overall aura that all she would like to do is see floating lanterns, also in the lab is an abnormally small, slightly anthropomorphic but adorable chameleon, which stays on the woman's shoulder. The chameleon has tied a loose strand of the woman's hair around its waist and is too dressed in a little lab coat. The man is taking off his coat and suit. "Are you sure we should do this, we haven't gone through all the chances, this could go wrong." the woman asks, her concern is not just the concern one has for their co-worker, this was a lover's concern. "I just have a bad feeling Eugene."
"We can spend decades going through animal testing and still not be at the prime apes. Rapunzel, Blondie, dear, we are looking at how this affects humans, and what better to test than human, also you know me. If I cannot put my money where my mouth is, I don't do it." Eugene says to the woman. Eugene then enters the area that was sealed from the rest of the lab.
"You do know gamma radiation kills, if you're exposed to more than 5 Sievert [1] you'll die in that room... or wish you did as you die painfully in less than a week." Rapunzel points out as she gets to her station preps everything on her end.
"I know the risks, that's why I am the one in here. You have faster response time than me, you can shut it off sooner. Alright: this is human radiation-resistance serum with gamma radiation to eradicate all human contaminates in the sample and injected to human test one with test subject, Dr. Eugene Fitzherbert, me. For the record my partner and fiancee, Dr. Rapunzel Von Corona, is conducting her part under extreme protest citing the dangers of exposure to gamma radiation, I think she's worried about my nose falling off and ruining my smolder." Eugene jokes over the PA as he takes one of the test tubes and using a hypodermic needle takes the content out and injects it into an IV bag and then puts the IV into himself.
"I broke you smolder at least thrice, and that's before I wracked you with my frying pan. Oh, and for the record, we should be on our honeymoon, Husband." Rapunzel counters emphasizing the 'Husband' as she readies the machine.
"Ah, the frying pan, if I recall correctly you're the one that invented me over the night and after she sets the emergency shut-off and decontamination to their most sensitive setting she says over the PA to Eugene "Alright everything is ready."
"Well just like they did in Vegas, Blondie, Light it up." Eugene orders humorously. Rapunzel, after she looks to the chameleon and it gives the thumbs up, presses the start button and the process starts, the sample is cleared of all the human DNA and such from its source and the serum works its way into Eugene's bloodstream, the gamma radiation does trigger healing as a slight cut on Eugene's left hand heals, his metabolism quickens...everything enhances... Eugene could feel himself becoming stronger, that he would be faster, have greater endurance, while not on the list of intended results but nothing Eugene can complain about because his body is suffering any ill effects from the radiation as the REMs[2] of gamma rays in the camber increase, the serum's intended result... but something goes horribly wrong, Eugene realizes to late that he miscalculated something... how gamma radiation would affect the actual serum... he can feel his bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, everything was growing. "BLONDIE RUN!"Eugene yells with everything he has... that is the last thing Eugene remembers... well what he has control over.
Within two minutes his body has grown to 9' feet at least, robust muscles, his face and everything widens and broadens, his skin shifts to gray and this body is full of rage. This new body does not respond to Eugene's screams of 'stop' as it smashes it way through, the lab trying to get out, unfortunately Rapunzel is in the way, but for some reason the body obeys one of Eugene's orders and only knocks Rapunzel to the side. The body continues to smash, and break its way out, along the way United States soldiers, under the command of General Muter Gothel the general that they got their samples from, and the General herself open fire on him, as if he was a suicide bomber or some other terrorist... but they only enrage the other personality even more... and Eugene is utterly blocked out.
Eugene wakes up, sometime later somewhere outside the laboratory on a patch of green, his pants barely holding together; thankfully it's during the summer, warm nights. He may not remember what has happened in its entirety, but he can connect dots. He heads back and finds an ambulance about to leave. "Wait, is Dr. Von Corona alright?" he was the EMT, "I am her husband, Dr. Eugene Fitzherbert."
"She's already en route to the hospital, while she's a little banged up, of the injured she's the\ least likely to die. Now if you don't mind." The EMT says as he shuts the door.
Eugene has as sudden realization, the military was not interested in his research into radiation-resistance... no they wanted to make an army of … super human warriors... an army of monsters and they have no ability to control them, period... okay Eugene knows he's not one to judge about morals or ethics given his 'less than legal' extracurricular actives in middle school, high school and college but still. He rushes back into the lab after he dons his shirt, he destroys all the samples, exposed to gamma radiation and not, he copies everything on the computers on to his personal laptop and to Rapunzel's thumb-drive, which aside from Rapunzel only he knows about, he doesn't have the time to copy what's on the thumb-drive to his laptop, because he has to put super-magnets next to the computers' hard drive... nothing can be aloud to fall into the general's hand... nothing can be salvageable. He takes his car and heads to the apartment he and Rapunzel share. He puts the thumb-drive into the one place only Rapunzel would look, he grabs his backpack and the pack for having Maximus carry things, he's not sure why he grabs it and puts everything into his backpack. He notices the absence of Maximus, his in-laws have him. While everything is happening he takes two sheets of paper and on one he transfers all his assets to his in-laws. The next stop is the hospital.
"Eugene, what happened, we cannot get answer from... Son why do you look like you're..." He arrives into visitor's room and is greeted by his mother-in-law, she's clearly at a lost.
"I didn't calculate something and there was an accident at the lab. I cannot stay long. Mom, Dad, take this, it's a letter transferring all my assets into your name. I need to see how Rapunzel's doing and I then I have to leave. I cannot ever come-back. Also take this, its a statement of no-contest; if Rapunzel wants a divorce..." Eugene doesn't finish, he doesn't need to. "I am just to say my goodbyes."
"Will we..." his father-in-law asks without asking.
"No, once I leave this place I can never come-back, here are my car keys. I love you both." He hugs his in-laws and goes to Rapunzel's room. Maximus, a Russian/Irish wolfhound size white furred Labrador, is in there resting his head on the bed, clearly concerned for Rapunzel. "Hey, Blondie... I am so..."
"Please... its... not... your... fault." Rapunzel says weakly in between breaths. She's in so much pain. "They want to put me in a medically induced coma, but they need your consent. I don't care about the pain, I don't want to be trapped in the darkness..." Rapunzel forces herself to say.
"I will respect your wish. Listen I..." Eugene is stopped by Rapunzel's right hand brushing his.
"I understand that you don't want hurt me again..." Rapunzel starts
"It's not just that, Gothel wants to make that serum into a weapon, that's why she help us get the sample. I cannot let them make monsters like I have become... I..."
"Pascal will track you down with a frying pan and break your skull in if you don't take Maximus. Maximus, if you don't go, Pascal will likely break your skull with a frying pan." Rapunzel jokes, but both Maximus and Eugene know if anyone would or could do that it would be the chameleon. "Eugene, I need to tell..." Rapunzel starts, but then both see General Gothel walking their way.
"I love you, Blondie, but I have to go now. I cannot risk going... that in here." Eugene leaves and the room and as he leaves the hospital Maximus follows...
Chapter 1 No Hope in Sight
It has been two... three... four...five... years since the Eugene has been on the run from the U.S. Armed forces, Eugene has lost track, he's too focused on not having a 'Flynn' (that's what it calls itself... well Eugene has always used 'Flynn Rider' as his alias) episode, and currently he has been without an episode for 190 days... to date, a new record. Eugene has thinned a bit and his chin stubble has been replaced with a full but shaggy beard. He wakes to the licking of Maximus. Maximus was a birthday gift from Rapunzel when they started dating, both Eugene and Maximus didn't quite see eye-to-eye, but Rapunzel somehow managed to get them to. The relationship between Eugene and Maximus had seen better days, don't misunderstand, the two cared for and took care of each other as best as each could, but being on the run for four years and only having stayed in the same place for 190 the longest time and they both knew they'd function better with Rapunzel and Pascal, to Eugene's credit he always put Maximus first in finding a new place and made sure he had food, and to Maximus' credit he did not blame Eugene... "Well I hope you're here to apologize for last night." Eugene teased, Maximus simply grabbed Eugene's pants' leg and pulled him off the bed and onto the floor... it was not even a seven inch drop as Eugene only had a mattress, a low table, one of those heart rate monitors that fit on a person's wrist, a laptop, it's a custom made and he had it since before the first incident, on it was 90% of his research and the means to contact a select few people (via an encryption program from Israel... hey they invented text messages, voice mail... plus Mossad... enough said), a picture of Rapunzel and Pascal, most of it was worn and torn and folded over, but if you followed the folding pattern, Rapunzel's and Pascal's faces are protected, a backpack... satchel now to carry everything, a bag to have Maximus carry everything and finally his wedding ring, he had it off during the experiment and has kept it off his left ring finger because if he transformers it could either break or cut off the circulation and sever the finger, but he keeps it on a chain on a belt loop for his pants.
Eugene reluctantly gets up and gets dress, well puts on a shirt, he only has the one shirt and the one pair of pants, folds the picture and puts it into his pocket and heads to his job... he's a day worker at one of the soda bottling plants in a less than desired city or part of a city in Brazil. Normally Eugene is a cart pusher, but he knows how to fix most of the problems that may arise. But first he practices his deep breathing and other calming techniques. Its 4 am when he starts his day, he arrives at work early and is greeted by 'Hook-hand' and the rest of the 'Snuggly Duckling Gang' at the plant. They had traveled with Eugene after he as the 'Flynn' saved them from being killed by a rival gang, since then they've help him relocate each time he has a 'Flynn' episode.
The 'Snuggly Duckling Gang', while notorious for their violence and medieval barbarian choice of wardrobe before they met Eugene, the members themselves are actually nice guys, none ever wanted to be a gangster, but they weren't given much choice. It was not uncommon for them to break into song when someone says 'dream' in any language. Hook-hand wanted to play at concert halls as a classical pianist or as he so poetically puts its "tickling the ivories, 'til they gleam", despite having only one true hand, the other being a hook. 'Big-nose' is always looking for 'ms. Right'... but being so physically unappealing he's a hopeless romantic... talk about grotesquely optimist. Tor is a florist at heart. Gunther would prefer to design interiors, Ulf in a way belongs in Paris as a mime. Attila would love nothing more than to bake his sublime cupcakes. Bruiser and Killer both want to be tailors, via knitting and sewing respectively. Fang is a puppeteer deep-down. However, the most memorable, Vladimir, a giant of a man at almost seven feet, is a collector of ceramic unicorns. These are but a handful of the Snuggly Duckling Gang and their dreams..., well Eugene really couldn't judge, right now his only dream is to hold Rapunzel again, to watch her looking at the stars, to see her paint that one wall no-one will give it a chance to live, to just look her in the eyes as they rest on their bed, to run his hands through her borderline ridiculously long hair... and as much as he hated to shampoo it when they were together right now it was the thing he missed the most. "Any luck with the last flower 'Big Lug' sent?" Hook-hand asks they they put their working jumpsuits on.
"It took the whole thing and it reversed like at most half a percent of the cells tested on. I am out of alternatives." Eugene answers as he shuts his locker and punches it letting off some steam.
"Well 'Flynn Rider', it looks like you're going to have to go back to the States and meet 'Big Lug', I hear New York is great this time of year." Big Nose interjects as the lot head to their stations for the day.
"We can get you there in a few days, just give us a week to set everything up." Vladimir imposes as he shuts the locker room after everyone else exits.
"I've to go to Corona first, some data there, specifics that I don't have." Eugene shakes his head not liking the prospect, he had long ago given up breaking and entering, but he may just have to. He rubs the back of his head just imagining Rapunzel hitting him on the back of his head with her frying pan. What is with that woman and frying pans? Eugene thinks.
"So you're going to Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie." one of the other 'Ducklings' jokes, everyone glares at him. Yes Corona is in Pennsylvania which enables the joke, it's still tact-less. "Sorry." he says sheepishly.
"Best wait for the results from that blood test 'Big Lug' wants to do. Maybe it's a dead-end and I am better off not wasting my time." Eugene posses.
Everyone then returns to work, it's a rather eventless day, until the plant manager calls for Eugene, one of the control buttons known to hang from plant's ceiling is acting up. Eugene is able to get the thing fix control. "(It should work for now, but what you really need is a a new new new plant.)" Eugene struggles with the Brazilian Portuguese, well mostly it's making sure he doesn't slip into Colombian, Venezuelan, Peruvian, Guyana or Suriname Spanish or the less likely Guiana French, not that the plant manager wouldn't understand. Truth be told the manager's American English is better than Eugene's Brazilian Portuguese, but still, if you're going somewhere attempt to learn how to speak the language.
"A new plant, I'll pass that on to corporate. You know Rider, you're how do you say... too smart to be a per Diem... I should put you on salary."
"No... no...no, I am happy with how things are." Eugene was absent minded for less than a second "Ouch" a jolt of electricity shocked him and caused the old cut on his left hand to open up. Eugene jolts away when he's able to, the wound heals by itself in seconds, one of the effects of the serum (as well as near superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance, etc, he already had superhuman good; looks born with them) unaware that one drop of his blood falls into one of the bottles. The bottle is capped and packaged.
The rest of the day was without incident, it helped that most of the local 'tough- guys' were too scared of the Snuggly Ducklings to pick a fight with Eugene. The main reason for fights, Eugene has this aura that just attracts most women... it's a gift and a curse, was not so much of a problem until Rapunzel entered his life, then the main problem was deciding whether or nor he wanted to continue his that life of... how to put it delicately... women he knows will say 'yes' or attempt to win the heart of the woman who broke his smolder. Now the problem is not giving off an air of being too friendly with any woman.
Meanwhile, in her office located in one of the US Army bases, General Muter Gothel pours over everything that she has on Eugene, his life, his work, well what has been salvage, which is everything save the research she desires, the 'super solider' serum and how it reacts with gamma rays, his publications, his brief marriage to her niece/god-daughter Rapunzel, and reports of sightings of Eugene's other-self, the 'Flynn' (seriously), on a few documents are the seal of the agency M.O.O.N., they had the most reliable information, but there is so little to go one, even with the surveillance program developed my Haddock Industries, "Two years, two years, TWO BLASTED YEARS!" she shouts as she swipes everything on her desk in a fit of frustration. "HOW DOES ANYONE STAY HIDDEN FOR TWO YEARS?" she shouts and slumps back into her chair.
Not even her phone taps and email traces on all of Eugene's known and potential associates, such as her niece/god daughter Rapunzel, and that young, up and coming astrophysicist with whom he did that joint lecture on cosmic radiation; Dr. Vanellope Von Schweetz. Included on the list are the students from his last lecture on radiation, the most notable five were Henry 'Hiccup' Haddock III; heir of Haddock Industries and gifted overall engineer with an act for A.I., alternative energy and most recently taken on advanced metal suits; now only if he grows up and face the harsh realities of the real world, Aiko 'Honey Lemon' Miyazaki; a gifted chemist but very much mad, an 'Alice in Wonderland' mad, Leiko 'GoGo Tomago' or 'GoGo' Tanaka; a glorified mechanic, granted she's gifted but she's still not much more than a grease-monkey, Ginger K. 'Wasabi-no-Ginger' or 'Wasabi' Chief; a plasma expert but he's too cautious for his research to amount to anything and the robotics prodigy Hiro 'Hiro Hamada' Takachiho, but he's so much like his late 'boy scout' of an older brother, Tadashi and he seems incapable of accepting the truth that the needs of the many outweigh the want of the one, she may have to result to the same means she got the prototype of the 'baymax' to see what the younger Takachiho has come up with (granted the 'baymax' proved unusable, but still, maybe if there's a suit of armor but that would require a 'pilot') but that Skype call with Hiccup and the email exchange between the two could be promising down the road, sadly the miniature arc-reactor blueprints are written in Norse runes in Old Norse (most likely in riddles and the measurements in Old Norse units) and the neurotransmitter's are written in a combination of Kanji, hiragana, katakana in a very obscured dialect of Japanese(most likely in poetic form with the measurements in Pre-Chinese Influence units of measurements) [so much for civilian secure email. Well she'd have to give the two this, they knew how to effectively encrypt the actual text].
Also on the list just to make sure all middle-men are covered are Astrid Hofferson; a gifted test pilot the general had to admit but this girl things herself a Valkyrie, she's nothing more than a hussy, Stan 'Snotlout' Jorgenson; while a useful lab rat he's not much more, Rachel 'Ruffnut' and Trevor ' Tuffnut' Thorston; a pair of sadomasochistic masocho-sadistic imbeciles if ever, Fredrick 'Fishlegs' Ingerman; a gifted scientist but lacking in vision to have more than derivative work, Rapunzel's friend Merida Dunbroch; competitive archery 'what is this 13th Century England?' and the highly unlikely but cannot be ignored San Fransokyo Institute mascot Frederick (Fred) 'Fredzilla' Lee... enough said[3]. But Meter Gothel did not make it this far in the boy's club that is the collection of US Armed Forces generals and admirals by leaving anything to chance. Besides once her deciphering program finishes working though the blueprints, even if she does not get Eugene, she has two very rewarding consolation prizes.
Nothing, absolutely nothing about Eugene, where he is, how to find him, it's like Eugene literally vanished off the face of the Earth. The only possible lead is the disappearance of the better part of the Snuggly Duckling gang two years ago, but their associates and former members are either impossible to track down, unable to answer, or unwilling and General Gothel lacks the authority to make them talk. After reorganizing all the files she looks over the only file she had not looked through as thoroughly as the rest. It was on the Brothers Castor and Pollox Stabbington. The two were born on Bermuda and worked with Eugene during his 'indiscreet' 'Flynn Rider' high school and undergraduate years on a few thefts. It was worth noting at all the stole objects while never recovered by law enforcement were somehow returned. The three did not have a falling out technically, but they didn't part way on the best of terms. General Gothel puts the file down and leans on her left hand, she can either either admit she needs help from her superiors or make a deal with to get the Brothers Stabbington... for General Gothel it's not a hard decision to make. She picks up her office phone. "Get me Major Sols."
The phone is directed to the office of Major Rittmeister Sols. Major Sols is fairly tall man, at 6'6", toned muscularly, with a small mustache, and a commanding presence. He also is only person who wants to find Eugene Fitzherbert as much as General Gothel did... no he wanted to find him more... well technically he wanted 'Flynn Rider' but since that is Eugene's favorite alias. He was also the person you have to go through to meet with the Brothers Stabbington[4] "Ahoy [5] this is Major Sols." He says as answers the phone.
"Good Afternoon Major, its General Gothel." General Gothel says, cool, calm, collected, like she was in a bar and fanning interest in the man that is trying to chat her up.
"Sir, sorry for my..." the major stumbles as he tries to stand-up at attention, while he may not have to do that. Showing respect to his superiors even if it's over the phone has always been a point he made and it has always helped him.
"At ease major. Listen I need to meet with the Brothers Stabbington. Don't worry, Major, I'll go through all the official channels, dot every 'i' cross every 't' and all that stuff, this is a curiosity head's up." the general says calm.
"You know, Sir, we have held them..." Major Sols says as he retakes his chair.
"I know, for two years, arresting them on an unrelated crime from their relationship with Eugene Fitzherbert, and you have have made no progress in getting them to talk about how they communicated with Eugene during for the time of the three's association. I know I read your report. I think it's time to put an end to this seeing who is the alpha male because clearly it's the two and try... a woman's touch. Just wait for the official orders before you start anything, this way you won't be chasing your tail when it comes through. Well I best let you get back to... whatever you were doing." General Gothel hangs up and after putting the file on the Brothers Stabbington down she picks up the file she has looked over the most, while it offers the least to find Eugene, its is the goal. While what she has access to is a highly redacted copy of the file from the 1940's, it still provides what she needs, on it is written Name: Overland, Jackson. Rank: Captain. She mutters something, all that can be heard is 'ost'.
Author's Notes
[1] Sievert is one of three measurement systems for measuring radiation and is the most accurate while REMs and RADs are easier to compute, 1 Sievert is equal to 100 REMs, 5 Sievert is 100% fatal to humans,
[2] REMs are easier to keep track off when measuring radiation
[3] these are only Gothel's opinions on each of these characters
[4] I like how 'Brothers Grimm' sounds
[5] When Bell invented the telephone he petitioned that the greeting should be 'Ahoy, ahoy' the word 'hello' at the time was something you shouted to get someone's attention when they did something like jaywalk in front of your carriage/car and it was considered a very crude thing to say
Author's Notes
[1] Sievert is one of three measurement systems for measuring radiation and is the most accurate while REMs and RADs are easier to compute, 1 Sievert is equal to 100 REMs, 5 Sievert is 100% fatal to humans,
[2] REMs are easier to keep track off when measuring radiation
[3] these are only Gothel's opinions on each of these characters
[4] I like how 'Brothers Grimm' sounds
[5] When Bell invented the telephone he petitioned that the greeting should be 'Ahoy, ahoy' the word 'hello' at the time was something you shouted to get someone's attention when they did something like jaywalk in front of your carriage/car and it was considered a very crude thing to say