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"Wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" I asked. I had my eyes closed, with a blanket on my chest, leaned back in one of the seats on Tony's private airplane. It had been a long 8 hours, and I hadn't slept in a while.

I didn't feel tired, of course. I don't think my physiology would let me feel tired, but I wanted to rest, I didn't need to rest. With that being said, my mind was fucking exhausted. Tony had thrown a kink into my plans, but Blonsky brought up memories that should have laid buried for a while.

"Fine, I'll talk." Tony said as he took a breath.

"Nothing new there." I muttered before he could start. I sat up and opened my eyes as it was obvious he wouldn't let me sleep in peace. Tony smirked at me, but ignored my comment.

"Klau either had no living relatives, or he covered their tracks so well I can't find them." Tony said as he laid down a platter in front of him and uncovered it. A steak, probably worth a hundred dollars, and green beans lay ready to eat.

"Sounds like we have no one to pay." I muttered, looking on the bright side of the situation, and ignoring the way I murdered Blonsky.

"Bingo! But don't worry, I'll still get you your finders fee. Least I could do after you… uhh, handled that situation back there." Tony said awkwardly as he began cutting his steak up. "That guy was the same person that Bruce fought in Harlem right?" Tony asked as he began eating.

"Yes. Emil Blonsky, or as I like to call him…"

"The Abomination." Tony finished my sentence while looking up at me. "Yea I read his SHIELD file. What I really want to know is who made the ship he flew in on, that tech was…"

"It was the same man that spoke from the device on Blonsky's chest, and the same man that turned me into what I am now." I told Tony, answering his questions. I had no reason to hide the information. "Samuel Sterns, the man Bruce thought could fix him."

"Jarvis…" Tony said, giving his AI a command that it was smart enough to deduce.

"There are a few Samuel Sterns across the United States, but none of significance sir." Jarvis responded quickly.

Just as I thought, he's erased everything.

"Check SHIELD databases." Tony corrected with confidence.

"Already did, sir." Jarvis replied immediately. "Nothing."

"Even in Bruce's files?" Tony asked, confused. He had read those files, and with his memory, I knew that he already knew the answer.

"No sir."

"Now we know why they showed up." I said, interrupting the conversation. "He's inside everything. You should probably check your systems for any security breaches Tony. I'm willing to bet money he heard our conversation. I would even assess Jarvis…" I told him as I laid back down in my seat and snuggled into my covers.

Tony got up immediately as he processed what I told him and yelled towards the cockpit.

"Change of plans, we're going to L.A."

Great, I'll have to find my own way back to Virginia.

As it turns out, there was a shit load of paperwork needed for me to receive the payout from Tony and Stark Industries. Surprisingly, things moved very fast when you had the connections that Tony did. And he didn't even blink when he signed the money over.

224 million. I thought as I left the Stark building in L.A. Delivered in 15 days also.

There were some people that had to make sure the transaction was legit, and taxes were a motherfucker, but apparently when Tony called the tax office and wanted something expedited, it got fucking done.

I pulled out the phone that Tony had given me. It had taken me a while to get used to it, because Stark Tech interfaces were nothing like the old IPhone of my world. It was interesting to think about the companies that didn't exist because of Stark Industries. Some did exist, but were bought out before they could make any real headway from… Stark Industries. Their portfolio was far broader than just arms dealing, and it was probably the only reason that they survived the arms section disappearing in a day. Tony was a tech genius, and probably the most capable business man in the world.

The phone rang in my ear, distracting me from my thoughts.

"Hello." Bruce's voice greeted me on the other side.

"Hey man I just got done, the money is secured. We can start the company up no problem, you said you started working on new designs for reactors right? We need to get them sent off and patented befor…"

"Rick, listen." Bruce interrupted, causing me to stop in my tracks. It was the voice someone used when they were about to break bad news to you. And he didn't disappoint.

"Tony offered me a position…"

That caused my heart to sink. I knew that Bruce stayed on with Tony in the original timeline, helping out SHIELD mostly, but I was honestly not expecting him to leave me high and dry. I didn't wait for Bruce to explain. I didn't need him to. I hung up the phone before I could hear any excuses.

Can't exactly blame him. I thought to myself as I tried to think about it rationally.

Realistically, I had started my journey out in this world beside Bruce's side, trying to get him to see that he wasn't a monster, and that the Hulk wasn't another entity inside of him, but rather a part of him he needed to accept. But I was also manipulating him for my own good.

I wanted his genius for my own gain. I wanted to get him to see the good he could do in the world. But I also wanted him to direct that genius to the poorest places in the world. I wanted him to deliver the same opportunities to them as he and I had. I tried to push my ideas on to him, and that never works. He is a man with his own wants and needs, not some arrow I can point at to go solve a problem that I saw.

"Fighting a god sounds like a good opportunity to be a superhero. Glory and all that."

I remembered Bruce's words from the day on the Helicarrier. It was easy for me to deduce then, and it was easy for me to deduce now. Bruce wanted to be a hero. He wanted the glory that came with it. He had been chased and labeled as a monster from General Ross for so long that when he could prove him wrong, he jumped at the opportunity.

Bruce's desires were not mine, and mine were not his. It wasn't right for me to push them onto him. I sighed, as I put the phone in my pocket and began walking again.

I was 224 million dollars richer. But I had nothing I wanted to buy.

So I walked, and thought about the world I was currently in.

"You look like a lost puppy."

I stopped walking, as I recognized the voice. "Nick Fury." I said as I turned to the man. In my hand was a first class ticket to South Africa. Why? I didn't even know yet but it was time to do some sightseeing. A part of me wanted to go pick up the ship that had delivered the Abomination to Klau's compound.

"Why don't you walk with me a minute." Nick said as he turned around and moved his way through the crowd in the airport.

I moved after him, and caught sight of the infamous red hair of the Black Widow leaning against a post close by. She wore civilian clothes, unlike the last time I saw her. We exchanged nods as I passed by her and followed Nick.

He went straight to a door off to the side of the terminal, and a man in a SHIELD uniform opened the door for both of us. One right turn and a flight of stairs down led to another door. Through it, I was surprised to see the Tarmac instead of some super secret room he had in the airport somewhere.

"What can I do for you, Director?" I asked as we came to a stop on the tarmac. Men and women in reflective jackets and helmets went about their everyday lives, never wondering or even seeing us standing there. It was funny how oblivious most people were to their surroundings.

"Sorry it took me so long to arrange this. I've been meaning to speak to you since New York." Fury said as he looked out to the people working. "But then again, you've been a busy man."

"Oh I see what this is about." I responded, thinking he was going to ask me about what happened in South Africa. I figured I would have to answer someone about what happened.

"You're an anomaly Rick, and I don't like anomalies." Fury started. "You disappeared from your day job, and showed up in South America with the most dangerous man on the planet." He continued.

"I told you that I was kidnapped by…"

"Yea yea, Samuel Sterns, a man I remember all too well. Do you know what happened to Emil Blonsky after his duel with the Hulk in Harlem?" Fury asked, turning his one eye to me.

"No." I told him truthfully. I THOUGHT that he was in SHIELD custody but our fight not too long ago had proven me wrong of that assumption quickly.

"Only about 10 people in the world did. He was a candidate for the Avenger Initiative, but was written off due to the same reasons that Doctor Banner was, he was unstable." Fury explained.

I thought the information odd, and ridiculous that I was even being told it, so I voiced my concern. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked, getting to the point.

"I don't trust you Mr. Jones." Fury said, completely off topic.

"You don't trust anyone." I jabbed at him, uncaring of his trust. Fury wasn't someone I woke up everyday to try to impress, and he never would be.

"Ha!" Fury laughed. "You're right about that. Nonetheless I choose people to put my faith in. I am being forced to do that once again." Fury said as he turned away from me and looked out onto the runway where a plane was arriving.

"What do you need from me?" I asked quickly. I was tired of Fury already. He only ever told people what he thought they needed to hear, and I didn't feel like giving the effort to get more information.

"Answer your phone when I call, for one." Fury said quickly. "And if you ever hear from Sterns, or have any information about him, let us know. He's more dangerous than I can properly state." This time Fury turned to me and was looking at me in a genuine way.

I already know that, Fury. He's inside your system, and probably every other system on the planet. I thought as I nodded to the Director of SHIELD.

"Good. Have a nice trip." Fury said.

Soon I was left alone to my thoughts, and eventually I headed back inside. To my surprise, no one questioned me about entering through a side door, despite the security that is normally around airports.

I woke up with a jolt and looked around.

All I saw was the inside of first class. I was still in my seat, headed to South Africa. Yet my senses were going haywire. The energy inside of me begged to be pulled into my body. It was like when I had felt Clint barreling into me during the Battle of New York, but 100 times stronger.

I looked around, and saw nothing. I listened intently, and didn't hear anything, not even a baby screaming, which was a staple of flights. My hand moved to the window and I opened it.

Rain battered against the window, and lightning lit up the sky. I couldn't see anything. But I could feel it. With every second my anxiety rose, and I could feel it coming from outside the plane.

I did my best to calm myself down, but my heart rate increased.

Lightning flashed again, but this time I caught a glimpse of something through the rain. I squinted at it because I couldn't make it out. It looked like a small speck of orange in the clouds. But it was racing towards us.

I realized what it was, far too late.

I transformed instantly, as the orange speck impacted the plane I was on center mass.

My world turned into a fiery storm instantly, and what I now knew to be a missile obliterated the plane I was on. The force of the explosion sent me flying through the back of the plane and into the storm that we were flying through.

Once my brain caught up to what was happening, I caught myself in mid-air and stopped my free falling. In front of me, I could still see the fire from the explosion expanding. It looked like nothing I had ever seen in movies or in real life. The missile had to be the most powerful I had ever seen for its size. It was nowhere near a nuke, but for a plane, it did the job.

I searched the sky below me to see any more falling masses of the plane, but there were none. It had disintegrated the entire plane in a couple of instances. I felt my mouth open in shock and surprise. There were at least 50 other people on that plane with me, not including the staff. They were all dead.

And I didn't have a chance to save them.

My heart ached in response to the sudden violence.

A light raced across the sky, and I locked on to it. It was a carbon copy of the plane I had ripped apart in South Africa at Klau's compound. And it was speeding away from the scene.

Sterns. I thought as rage spread through my system. He would not get away with it this time. I'm going to kill you.

I gripped the energy inside of me, and I sped through the sky after the craft. Quickly, I was brought to my max speed, and the craft still stayed beyond my reach, but I was able to keep my eye on it in front of me.

Soon we reached the coast of what I assumed was Africa, although I was unable to tell because I had no way to tell the direction I was moving.

Soon I didn't care, because the ship or plane, or whatever it was that I was chasing stopped in mid-air, impossibly fast. As I approached it, it slowly began to lower to the ground.

I continued to speed towards it. When it landed on the ground, a man in a lab coat calmly walked out of the back hatch that opened up. It was Sterns, and he turned to me with his hands behind his back, waiting on me.

Fuck you, there will be no talking. I thought with murderous intent. This was the man that had uprooted my entire existence. The man that had sent Abomination after me, and gotten into Tony Stark's system. There would be no redemption. He turned to me with such a cocky smirk, as if he knew I was following him all along. As if he knew I wouldn't die from the missile he sent at the plane. That pissed me off even further, as he had killed fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons on that plane.

I cocked a fist back, and sent my energy towards it. When I swung, I knew that massive cranium would explode in a gory mess.

I cannot explain the shock and confusion, when the Stern's before me flickered, and faded from view as my fist passed through his head.

In his place, a MASSIVE red body stood. The physique was only comparable to the hulk. In fact, the only differences I could derive from this new entity, was the facial structure and the color of the body.

It was the Red Hulk.

He stood sideways, and allowed my punch to pass through the air, but he was positioned to grab me, and grab me he did. His left arm hooked under my throat, and he jumped on me to slow me down as I tried to fly past him. It was no good, as his right arm hooked under my right arm and latched onto his left to secure the choke hold.

I don't know why I didn't just fly up, but the suddenness of the events, and the hold he had on my neck caused me to panic and I let go of the energy inside me. We rolled onto the ground quickly, and quicker than I could counterattack, the arms around my neck tightened, and the Red Hulk wrenched me back up to my feet, holding me off of the ground.

My hands went to his arms off of instinct as the oxygen was cut off to my body.

Movement, and the same danger sense that I had on the plane, caused me to look down. Another massive figure barreled towards me, with a mechanical device in its hand. It was the man I had killed a couple of weeks previous. Abomination, and he looked like nothing had ever happened to him.

He did not attack me wildly, nor did he stab me. He simply ran up and stuck the mechanical device on my chest, as I clawed at the arm choking me out.

Once the device made contact, it was as if the arm around my neck made no difference. The energy that was flooded around my body. The energy that I had used to fight the Hulk, Thor, during the Battle of New York, and to 'kill' the Abomination was ripped out of me, with no chance for me to hold on to it.

The red arm around my neck loosened, and I fell to the ground. For the first time since I had woken up in South America with my new powers, I felt real pain, as my back hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of my lungs. It was different than the impacts I had survived as A-Bomb. The damage I took in my other form was gone in a second due to the healing factor of my powers. Not this time.

I did not recover like I used to. When I hit the ground, my arms latched around my chest in pain and I tried to suck in air. Blackness tinged the edge of my vision, as I was already oxygen deprived before falling to the ground. I coughed, desperately clawing at my chest, throat, and even the ground as I tried to recover.

"That was fast." A deep voice commented, one that I did not recognize.

"I told you it would be instantaneous."

Now that voice, I recognized. It was Samuel Sterns, and I still heard it in my dreams and nightmares. It was the last voice I heard when I thought I was going to die before I woke up in South America. It was the voice I had just tried to snuff out. I pushed away the darkness, as I finally was able to take in deep breaths.

It was then that I realized I was in my normal, human, form. As soon as I did, I reached for the energy inside me. It took me a while to find it, but I reached for it. That was not something I would ever be able to forget, after the months touching it so intimately in my mind and body.

What made me panic was the fact that it wouldn't move into my body like I wanted. In fact, it seemed so small that I wondered if it was even there at all.

"Don't bother, Rick."

I looked up, to see that Sterns was floating off of the ground in a metal suit that fit his large cranium. In the center was a Stark Reactor, the new version with the element that Tony hoarded so fervently. The repulsors on Sterns' back were quieter than Tony's, not unlike Ultron.

"What did you do to me?" I asked as I looked at what had to be the most powerful version of the Leader ever thought of. Red Hulk stood behind him now, as he had deemed me incapable of hurting any of them. The Abomination stood a bit closer to Sterns, protectively.

"I took away what I gifted you." Sterns answered simply with a dismissive wave of his hand. It was then that I noticed how his form was green, and his neck was a bit thicker than I expected. Something told me he wasn't the skinny, physically weak, version I expected.

"What? How did… Why did…"

"Oh no, he's going into shock." Sterns said with a giggle as he looked behind him to the other Gamma beings. "It's sad really."

He was right. What did he do? Why? My breathing picked up, and I looked down to my pale skin. It was so small… I was used to being big right? He had to give me my form back! He had to! I would take it.

"Had you killed Bruce, like I expected, I might have let you keep it and play hero with the rest of the Avengers. But I just couldn't let you keep running around, ruining my plans. That Vibranium was mine, I just wasn't ready for it yet. Now I would have to take it from Stark another way." Sterns said, as his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

I saw the metal device that took away my powers in his left hand. I didn't even hesitate and I lunged at him. Sterns expected it, and he raised a hand that had what looked to be a modified version of what Iron Man's hand looked like. A small light appeared from it and flew towards me.

'Vroooom'

I'll never forget the sound that it made. It was closer to what Ultron's beams sounded like, than Tony's. It was deep, and I felt it reverberate through my entire body. Or was that something else.

My movement stopped.

Why had I stopped?

I looked down, and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What happened to my chest? Why is there a hole where my…

The blackness from earlier tinged my vision, threatening to take over my vision. In a last ditch effort, I reached for the energy that I knew I could rely on. Yet it wouldn't move.

The blackness covered everything.

A/n: Boom!

WHAT?! JUST?! HAPPENED?!

Well, that was not something I planned, I promise. Although, when the story demands certain things, it gets what it wants.

Rick successfully became a multi-million dollar man. Then we had Bruce break the news to him that he was going the route of the normal MCU, helping Tony and SHIELD. Rick also got to meet with Fury.

And then….

Sterns showed up, with a crew full of bad bad men, and fucked Rick's world all up.

Let's talk about it in the reviews!