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CHAPTER ONE
"Wow--it's really...isolated out here," Rhodes commented quietly as he got out of the car and glanced around. Tony pushed his own door open and rose, feeling the cool breeze blow through his hair and jacket. They had parked the car at the dead end of a dirt road, and now gazed over an overgrown, green meadow hedged by a gnarled, dark forest in the distance.
"I like it," Logan murmured from behind them. "It's quiet."
Tony glanced up at the sky through his sunglasses.
"Well, it looks like it's getting kinda late. Let's go see if we can find this guy."
The three of them stepped off the road into the knee-high grass and began to trudge through. Grasshoppers buzzed and snapped all around them, and birds twittered within the cover of the thick foliage.
"There's a path."
Tony and Rhodes stopped when Logan spoke, then turned and walked to him. It was true--a narrow path cut through the grass and headed off toward the forest.
"Could be a rabbit trail, or deer," Rhodes ventured.
"No," Logan shook his head once, then knelt down and touched the dirt with his fingertips. "There are human footprints here." He rose. "Let's go."
Tony and Rhodes fell in behind Logan and the three swiftly followed the path until they came to a small grove of trees. They slowed to a halt.
"Look," Tony pointed. "Tomatoes--over in that garden-looking thing."
"And cucumbers and onions and apples," Rhodes observed.
"That's why," Wolverine gestured slightly with his head, his black eyes piercing the air straight ahead of them. Tony squinted, then took off his glasses and tucked them in his pocket.
"Is that--"
"A house," Rhodes finished.
"Looks more like a shed," Logan frowned.
"Whatever," Rhodes muttered.
"Okay, let's go see," Tony stepped around Logan and kept to the path, which widened and deepened the closer it got to the wooden shed. The structure was old, and slightly leaning, but Tony could see some repairs had been done to the roof, and a tarp covered the window closest to the front door. He heard the footsteps of his teammates right behind him, and his own clunked against the wood of the front steps. Hesitating just a moment, he lifted his hand and knocked on the rough door.
Something shuffled violently inside. Then silence.
"Hey, it's okay," Tony was quick to assure whoever was within. "We're not here to hurt you. We just want to talk."
A timid voice issued from somewhere behind the door.
"How many of you are there?"
"Just three."
"Who are you?"
Tony glanced back at his friends.
"Tony Stark, Wolverine and Colonel Rhodes."
"Tony Stark?" the man inside whispered. He paused a long moment, then: "Okay--you can come in."
Cautiously, Tony moved the handle and pushed the door open. A man stood inside about twenty feet in front of him, lit only by the light that came in through a side window. He had a slight build, dark hair, small mouth, narrow face and cutting blue eyes. He wore a simple, long-sleeved white shirt, jeans and boots, and his arms hung down to his sides. Tony blinked, then smiled impulsively.
"What?" the stranger narrowed his eyes.
"Well," Tony chuckled. "You're not exactly what I pictured."
"What did you picture?"
Tony raised his eyebrows, then shrugged.
"I don't know--I pictured this twenty-foot tall green guy juggling jeeps."
The man's jaw tightened.
"That's not who I am." His voice quieted. "At least not all the time."
Tony felt Logan and Rhodes come in to stand on either side of him. The stranger's eyes darted to each man's face, but he did not move to retreat. Tony glanced around the room. It was sparsely-furnished, with just necessities: a table, chair, cabinet, small stove, ice-box, cot.
"What do you want?" the man asked.
"Just your name," Tony stepped forward and extended his hand. "Tony Stark--known in other circles as Iron Man."
The man stared at Tony's hand, then up into his eyes for a long moment. Finally, he reached up and gripped Tony's hand firmly.
"Bruce Banner."
Tony turned to the side to make room for Logan.
"And this is Logan--Wolverine."
Logan was clearly reluctant to exchange pleasantries, but when Tony shot him a pointed look, he grunted, stepped forward and roughly shook Bruce's hand.
"And this is Rhodie--who isn't cool enough to have a superhero name."
"Thanks, Tony," Rhodes chuckled, stepping up and also taking Bruce's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Did you say you were a colonel?" Bruce asked.
"Yes, I am," Rhodes replied. Bruce frowned.
"Is that how you knew how to find me?"
"Actually I talked to General Thunderbolt Ross after the nice mess downtown a while back," Tony admitted, sticking his hands in his pockets. Bruce's eyes widened.
"He knows where I am?"
"No," Logan spoke up. "He just gave us a few leads."
"Which is why we couldn't come straight here after talking to him--we had to do a little research," Tony finished.
"Why would you want to find me?" Bruce glanced at them sideways.
"Well, if you're willing, we'd actually like to give you a spot in the Avenger Initiative," Tony told him frankly.
Bruce watched him warily.
"What's the Avenger Initiative?"
"It's a band of um...superheroes," Tony explained. "There are just a handful of us right now, but we're recruiting."
"What's the purpose of the Avenger Initiative?" Bruce pressed.
"To go after threats together, instead of alone," Logan said simply. Bruce studied him for a long moment. Then he returned his eyes to Tony.
"I'm sorry. I can't help you."
Tony's brow furrowed.
"Why not? You can at least think about it."
"I don't have to think about it," Bruce said as he turned and walked over to his stove where a kettle was steaming. "I already know."
Rhodes stepped toward him.
"But with the kind of power you have--"
"I can't control it, all right?" Bruce said vehemently, his left fist clenching. "I can't always decide when that monster comes out of me, and there's no way I can make him leave." His voice quieted, and he kept his back to them. "I've destroyed more than I've ever built. And when that hulking thing comes out of me--I don't even know who I am anymore."
"Takes the Jekyll and Hyde thing to a new level," Tony commented dryly, trying to lighten the moment, but this time Logan shot him a warning glance. Silence fell. For a moment, no one moved. Then, to Tony's surprise, Logan stepped slowly toward Bruce and stood beside him, crossing his arms.
"I know this girl," Logan began in a low voice. "Whenever she touches somebody's skin, she sucks the life right out of them and sends them into a coma--or worse. And the bad thing is, she can't control it, either. It just happens when her skin touches somebody else's."
Tony saw Bruce glance briefly up at Wolverine.
"That's too bad," he said sympathetically.
"Yeah," Wolverine nodded. "But just a while ago, we found out that some piece of a painkiller medicine will block that power for a little bit--so we've gotten a lot closer to figuring out how she can turn that ability on and off." Wolverine shrugged. "Maybe we can do the same for you."
Bruce folded his own arms.
"It's a nice thought. But," he sighed. "I know better. Believe me, I'm a scientist, and I've tried everything already." He hung his head. "I'd be more of a hindrance than a help to you guys--and that's probably the last thing I want to be." He turned around and looked at all of them. "A band of superheroes is a great idea. The world needs something like that." He gave a small, resigned smile. "And I wish you the best of luck."
Tony's heart sank.
"Well...all right. Like I said, we're not here to drag you away, so..." He lifted his head and forced a smile. "We'll come back and see you sometime."
Bruce unexpectedly brightened.
"That would be...great." His smile became more real. "Yeah, that...sure, you can come back whenever you want--as long as nobody follows you here."
Tony nodded.
"Deal." He glanced at the others, then back at Bruce, and took a deep breath. "Okay, we won't bother you anymore--it was nice meeting you, Mr. Banner."
"Nice meeting you, too," Bruce said solemnly. "All of you."
Slowly, the three visitors filed out of the house. Tony rammed his hands in his pants pockets.
"Well, crap."
"You can say that again," Rhodes agreed darkly.
"Give him a little time," Wolverine advised. Tony shot him a look.
"What--you think he'll come around?"
Logan smiled wryly.
"He's not the only one with a beast somewhere inside him."
TBC