13 – Hulk Smash
The journey from New York to Calcutta had been a quiet one so far. Apart from a few passenger jets, he'd seen no one else. The mark eight, sacrificing the Mamba's stealth systems, was even faster. They hadn't had time to test its combat speed as of yet, but in terms of travel time, it was definitively his best work yet. Soaring over the Indian ocean, his HUD beeped to signify a video message.
"Play It," he instructed JARVIS. The AI pulled the attachment to the centre of the screen, opening it as he went. Edwin's concerned face greeted him, seated in front of the computer. "'You may want to know what's going on" the old man stated by way of greeting, before the scene changed to reveal a real time display of what was going on in Calcutta. The city and much of the surrounding countryside were ablaze. Tendrils of smoke wafted into the air, outstretched like reaching fingers. In the centre, bellowing out a war cry was the hulk, bigger than he had been when last Harry had seen him. Thick veins ran the length of his arms, neck, and legs. Civilians could be seen cowering in abject horror, using buildings, over-turned cars, and even shattered pieces of earth to hide. Harry stared in horror at the sight of his friend, who was currently stalking through the city and roaring a challenge to any who would respond.
"Level with me, Ed", he spoke softly as he dived low, soaring closer to the mainland, "what exactly are we looking at here?" Edwin was silent for several moments. When he next spoke, the words chilled Harry to the core.
"Given his illusive nature, and the unique quality of his condition, little research has been conducted on the Hulk. But our own findings indicated that – with enough rage – the Hulk would grow exponentially stronger, so long as he retained his anger. These would seem to be supported by the studies conducted by general Ross which we have accessed, and Doctor Banner's own personal experiences. In short sir, as it currently stands, there may be no upper limit to the Hulk's physical capabilities. Or the maximum potential force he can exert."
"But, if I could keep him busy, he'd have to eventually get bored of me. He'd become apathetic, and have to let go of the transformation." Harry replied, racking his brain for alternative methods. Edwin hesitated for several seconds.
"yes sir," he replied, speaking slowly as he thought through the response, "if he didn't kill you first. And the Mark eight was never designed to absorb the kinds of punishment he could dole out in this state. In short sir, it is likely he would end the fight before apathy set in." Harry swore.
"What about my magic? We haven't been able to run any tests, but – "
"Perhaps. But with the eyes of the world on Calcutta as we speak, such a blatant use of magic would expose the magical world. You would also likely expose yourself to Doctor Banner."
"So, that's a last-ditch effort then. What are my options here?" Edwin sighed.
"truthfully sir, I'm not sure. At this stage, our best options are to distract him and wait out for reinforcements, try to find some way to immobilise him, which is most likely a physical impossibility, or – "
"What?"
"Or you kill him sir", Edwin replied bluntly. Harry shook his head.
"That shouldn't be an option, Ed!"
"I agree sir, but it may be the only way to prevent catastrophe."
"Even if I wanted to, would that even be possible?"
"Before he left the manor, Banner and I theorised that exposure to enough nuclear radiation might weaken the Hulk's cells enough they could not absorb it all. This could then either kill him, or trigger a transformation back into Doctor Banner, which, given the amount of radiation flooding his cells – enough to either kill or incapacitate a being like the Hulk – would in all likelihood prove fatal. Either way, no more Hulk". In that moment, Harry stopped thinking of Edwin as Edwin Jarvis his friend and mentor, and instead saw him as Edwin Jarvis, air force pilot and howling commando.
"If I can't think of anything else, we may have no choice but to try that. But only after we've exhausted all my other options. Including magical ones. Get in contact with the local army and authorities. Tell them to focus on evacuation and not to engage. They'll just piss him off. What about the others?"
"Hank and Janet are trying their best to secure transportation as fast as possible. Steve has been contacted, and is on his way back to New York. He will try to join you as soon as he is able. The background chatter I'm picking up from shield indicates they are on their way en masse. There are also a few references in encrypted files to a 'first response agent' in Bangladesh, but nothing concrete."
"Right. I'm about to engage. Keep this channel open. I want to be notified of anything new immediately." He soared over the city, flying straight at the emerald goliath at the other end of main street. Hulk spun around, turning to face him. The behemoth snarled, rushing towards him, shaking the ground beneath his feet as he ran.
'c'mon pal,' he thought grimly, locking onto his old friend's hide, 'don't make me do this'. Hulk let loose an ear-splitting roar, leaping through the air to close the distance. "Bruce," he shouted, "stand down! I don't think you want to hurt me, and I know you don't want anyone else getting hurt in the cross fire!" the behemoth ignored him, swinging his fists forwards like a jackhammer. Harry grit his teeth, firing off the suit's rockets. They slammed into the green giant's skin, letting off tiny explosions. Hulk roared, swatting at him. He dodged to the side, opening fire with another missile barrage. The projectiles impacted with the enlarged shoulder, puffing out almost uselessly. Harry groaned as Hulk continued to swing and swat wildly, bellowing in rage with each near miss. A repulsor blast struck true, and a spray of green blood erupted from his friend's nose.
"Sorry pal," he murmured softly. Hulk's fist, which had so far barely avoided swatting him into the pavement, collided with his chest. The suit spluttered and shook wildly. He lost his balance, and felt himself jerked back violently as he lost altitude, falling haphazardly towards the earth below. He felt a jerk followed by a crunch and let loose a groan.
"Ugh. Systems check", he grunted, staring up at the burning sky above. It took a moment for JARVIS to respond, and when it came, his voice was garbled and stilted.
"weapons and targeting…right arm servos…. offline" Harry swore, sitting up slowly. The suit had seen better days, but nothing on him was broken. So far. He flexed his left hand to make sure the joints still operated, then fired off a repulsor to test for himself. The energy came, but it was slower than before, less steady, like water pushed through a backed-up faucet. Sure enough, he couldn't move the other arm. There was a whoosh over his head and he swore, barely avoiding the flying water truck. He staggered out of the crater, glaring at his emerald friend.
"Come on Bruce!" he shouted, walking towards the raging man, who sneered at him, expression eerily reminiscent of Malfoy. "That's just not right, and you know it! Fight fair!" The Hulk's answering grin was down-right sadistic.
"Puny Banner wanted Hulk in a cage. Puny Banner would have interfered, he said. Metal man interfere. HULK SMASH METAL MAN'S FACE IN!" Harry gulped, barely registering the 'he' before the emerald goliath was upon him once more, fists and feet whirling through the air like jet turbines. He leaped back, kicking off the ground as he went.
He fired repulsor blasts into hulk's chest, back, and shoulders as he flew around him, feeling distinctly like a fly dodging the proverbial swatter.
-HPIM-
He glanced down at the Tesseract, sitting snugly in the passenger's seat across from him. He needed to get this to a secure base, and fast. The news coming in wasn't good. From the sounds of it, Banner had gone savage. Harry had engaged, though from what the radio was saying, the fight wasn't going well. Fury was calling in a code green. He hadn't even had time to tell his boss the good news before he'd been ordered too HC-1. It seemed as though Fury was bringing in everyone for this one.
He frowned as he glanced at the side of the road ahead of him, slowing down as he approached. Off to the side, a few hundred metres ahead, was a wrecked car, smoke billowing from the front in a thick plume. Something didn't feel right as he pulled to a screeching halt. He grabbed his gun from the holster at his side, slid his wand up his sleeve, and shut the door as quietly as possible, before casting a silencing charm on his feet. The feel of the English oak and the slight hum of Dragon's heartstring soothed his frantic nerves as he crept slowly forwards
He peaked his head slowly around the side of the car, breath hitching as he spotted the driver lying unconscious, her head slammed against the wheel. Brown locks of hair and dried blood caked her forehead. She let out a slight groan, head mere inches from the web of glass and tree branches. Dean sighed, sliding his gun back into its holster. he leaned into the car, casting a severing charm to cut the seatbelt wrapped tightly around her bent form. He winced, gently grabbing her by the waist as he pulled her from the shattered car. Laying her out on her back beside the wrecked vehicle, he reached for his phone. dialling the necessary number, he waited for the call. A sudden groan and pressure on his hand startled him, and the phone slipped from his grip as he jumped, attention snapping to the ground below him.
The woman's eyes were open, and she was now staring at him. Her breath was hoarse and ragged. "thank you" she breathed softly, coughing as she stared into his eyes, her own a piercing blue. He nodded, smiling softly at her.
"Don't worry," he murmured softly, smiling down at her as he took her hand, "you'll be ok. We'll get you out of here alright." Her vice-like grip only tightened. He winced softly, unable to pull himself free. She smiled softly, struggling to sit up. He placed a hand on her stomach, trying to get her to lie back down, for fear of aggravating her wounds further. 'well, at least she hasn't damaged her spine'.
Her smile, sweet and scared, turned predatory. Her form melted before him, shifting and reforming as he staggered back, trying desperately to pry his hand free. The woman stood, still melting away as she dragged him to his feet. Within but a few moments, it was over. Standing across from him was a tall figure in black and green leather with raven hair. He grinned, lips thin and deadly as a dagger.
"You," dean breathed softly.
"No," he replied, still speaking with the voice of the woman, "thank you for the tesseract." Cold metal pressed against his chest, and he felt himself floating away, a thin, low voice whispering for him to let go of the ledge. Closing his eyes, he did so, falling for what felt like years, flying from sanity through blissful oblivion. In but a moment, Dean Thomas was no more; all that remained was Loki.
-HPIM-
Fires blazed around them, heating the metal of the armour. His foe bellowed like roiling thunder, and the rush of wind from each missed blow was as though a hurricane. Harry grit his teeth, continuing to fire repulsor blasts as he dodged desperately. Hulk lunged forwards, fists curled back above his head as he soared through the air. Harry winced as his enraged friend sailed ever closer. He pulled himself away from the green giant as quickly as he could, though felt the cold grip of terror tighten around his heart as he was jerked violently to a halt as a firm grip seized him by the feet. He let loose a groan as the hulk slammed him bodily against the ground, then lifted him back into the air, repeating the process several times. A quick activation of the shield charm runes in the suit, pushing his magic bodily into the spell as urgently as he could did little to mitigate the damage.
As the emerald behemoth turned and trudged away from his beaten opponent, Harry felt his head drop back onto the cement beneath him as he let out several shuddering breaths. As he cautiously pushed himself into a sitting position, mindful of the sharp sensations that shot up his back in protest, he swore.
"Ok, Ed" he grunted, rolling his shoulders, "lets go with the nuclear option then. Find me a reactor I can bring the fight to." As Edwin answered in the affirmative, a third voice cut through their conversation.
"Giving up so easy there, Stark, doesn't sound like you." Came the SHIELD director's dulcet tones. Harry groaned once more, though for a very different reason.
"Fury? Tell me you're not here to make things worse."
"Nah. We figured we'd drop you off some back-up."
Wait, what? Harry thought, shaking his head to clear it. "Backup?"
"Look up", fury instructed, as a thunderous noise tore the sky above him. Gale force winds kicked up, and bursts of machine gun fire and missiles slammed into his friend turned opponent. The green goliath let out a blood-curdling roar as he spun back around, though this time his attention was no longer on Harry. Rather, he had turned his gaze upwards, letting lose a predatory grin as he prepared to leap forth.
Harry tilted his head upwards; there, above him, floating in the clouds was a sight he never thought he would witness. Held aloft by multiple engines on each side was a gigantic air force carrier, with several fighter jets situated atop its open deck. Harry gaped. Hulk leaped through the air, sailing towards the waiting ship, only to fall back down towards the waiting earth half-way up. Harry frowned as he stared at the green man now laying in a crater a few hundred feet away.
With a grin, Janet landed on the ground in front of him, growing to her regular height as she helped him up. Hank, who had been the one to take out the hulk – however briefly – extended his own height to upwards of twelve feet, slightly taller than the other giant, who was now picking himself up out of the crater. Janet smiled as she handed him a small rectangular box.
"Gift from Luna," she explained, as she flew off to assist her husband. Harry, his back still smarting, opened the box, grinning as he gazed at the syringes inside. There were two each simply labelled 'Calming draught'. He had no idea if they would work, but it was worth a shot at least.
Hank lifted Bruce into the air by the arms, raising him above his head. Harry could see his friend grunting with the exertion of holding the raging behemoth in place. Janet darted around the pair like a true hornet, firing off continuous blasts from her stingers as the carrier ship above proceeded to rain fire upon the battlefield. Harry swore as he waited for Edwin to reboot his systems.
The suit sputtered once more to life as Hank power-bombed the Hulk into the ground below. Harry shot forwards into the air like a corkscrew, soaring above his brawling friends. He banked down towards Hank's face.
"Thanks" he told the other scientist, who nodded as he drove his knee into their colleague's chest.
"Don't mention it. What are friends for?" Hank grunted, clearly distracted. Harry smirked as he launched a full-powered blast from the repulsors.
"Keep him on the ground" he instructed the other man, who nodded, slamming his entire weight down onto the radioactive beast. Harry swooped down, landing on the ground next to his downed friend.
"I hope this works," he murmured softly. He glanced at the struggling Hulk, who let out a blood-curdling roar as Harry warily approached, wincing at the look in the other man's eyes. "And I hope you forgive me", he told him. Rain began to pour down upon them as the heavens opened, thunderclouds roiling in from across the horizon. Harry jammed the first syringe into his companion's arm, injecting the full dosage. Lightning split the sky, slamming into the ground less than a hundred metres from their strange quartet, and a half dozen things occurred all at once.
Hank, startled by the flash, leaped back. Janet, blinded by the pelting rain, was forced to the ground. A wild stunner struck harry on the shoulder, and he felt a static shock run through the entire suit. He grunted as he felt the shock rattle his teeth. Hulk, seizing the opportunity, leaped out of the crater, driving his right fist straight into Hank's jaw. Pym staggered back, falling to the ground. Hulk through his head back, letting out a victorious shout as he prepared to attack the carrier, lifting a water tanker from the side of the road to hurl at the craft. A blast of lightning struck Hulk centre mass, and the tanker dropped to the ground, a small indent in its left side.
A massive burst of light erupted in the centre of the road. As it dissipated, there standing in the middle, his blonde hair covered by a silver helm, and wearing silver armour with a red cloak was the Asgardian alien Harry had met in New Mexico, the one calling himself 'Thor'. The god of thunder smiled grimly, slinging his hammer in an arc as he did so.
"I am sorry to do this troll. I know my brother has stolen your mind, yet I cannot allow you to harm Midgard." He hurled the hammer as it reached the maximum point in its momentum. It shot forth, travelling at least twice the speed of Harry's fastest armour, striking the Hulk straight in the face, and sending him flying backwards. Thor struck out his hand, re-calling his weapon. He flicked it forth in his wrist, letting lose another barrage of lightning as thunder crackled around them, and the rain fell ever harder. The energy slammed into Bruce, who could do little more to defend himself than raise a hand. Harry winced, and Janet, who had made her way to his side.
"Since when does he come back to earth?" she asked, gesturing to Thor. Harry shrugged.
"Don't know, but he seems to be doing alright." His friend nodded, leaning her arm on his shoulder. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised underneath the helmet, but made no effort to shrug her off.
Thor let up his assault and made his way towards them. "Iron Man," he called happily, waving as he walked over. "Fine greetings these are. It is good to see you still champion the peoples of Midgard". Harry let out a slight sigh, taking Thor's offered hand. Janet barely disguised her laughter by coughing. Harry glared at her.
"Miss," Thor turned to regard her, "I regret I do not know you. I regret more that my rain storm appears to have made you Ill".
"I like him," Ed's voice sounded in Harry's ear, "he's strangely refreshing. Though, I imagine it would become grating after a while."
"Probably".
Their happy union was cut short by a snarl behind them. Bruce pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, glaring at Thor, expression decidedly feral. His eyes flashed like jade ingots as he spat several teeth out.
"Oh shit" Harry breathed.
Janet took several steps back, hands raised in front of her. "Think you pissed him off, Thundercats" she told Thor. The demigod grunted stepping forward, spinning Mjolnir as he went once more by the strap.
"I will put you down again, troll".
"Princess knocked out Hulk's Tooth. HULK BREAK PRINCESS IN HALF!"
The two titans collided in a flash of smoke and crackling lightning. Harry glanced at Janet and Hank, who by now, had made his way over to the pair. "Should we help him out?" Harry asked.
"I don't think so. Not in this case, no" his fellow scientist replied, ever the pacifist first.
"after you, shellhead".
Harry sighed, stepping forward. "JARVIS, give me full power to the reactor. Once we've got a clear shot, we're hitting him with the unibeam."
"Affirmative". Hulk caught Thor's forearm mid swing. The Asgardian demigod flew through the air, slamming into a wall a few hundred feet behind them. Hulk shook his head back and forth, preparing to leap after his new quarry. "Unibeam ready now sir".
"Get back," Harry ordered his friends.
"No, wait" Hank shouted, holding up his hand. Harry snarled.
"We don't have time to discuss this by committee, Hank" Janet shouted, "Tony needs to take him out. Right now!"
"Yeah, and he only gets one shot! Thor, hit Tony with the biggest lightning blast you've got!"
"But –"
"just do it" Harry shouted, catching onto his friend's plan. Lightning struck the suit, dropping Harry momentarily to one knee. He pushed himself up as the last of the lightning dissipated.
"Power at 800% capacity. All power re-routed to unibeam assault".
"Well, shit. How about that?" a massive burst of energy erupted from his chest, slamming into the hulk and lighting up the entire block. Hank and Janet, who had ducked into foetal positions behind him, were illuminated in the blast. Hulk hit the ground with an earth-splitting thud. Thor ran past, dropping his hammer on the green man's chest.
"Ed?"
"Initiating emergency ejection now, sir. The suit is structurally sound, but will require re-charge."
"prep the MKIX" he instructed as he walked towards Thor and his fallen friend, second dosage in hand.
"What is that, friend Iron Man?"
"something to begin putting things right" he replied, as he injected it. This time, the result was almost instantaneous. The hulk began to shrink and change colour, and within moments, in his place lay a comatose Bruce Banner. Harry gestured to Thor, who hastily recalled the hammer. Harry knelt down, lifting his friend up and swinging him fireman style over his shoulders.
"sorry about all this Bruce. You get first crack on the S.O.B who did this, I promise." He turned away from the crater.
"Stark, Thor, Antman, Wasp," came a stern voice from behind them, "I think you better come with us. You'll want a ride back to New York, no doubt."
"Furry," Harry glared.
"Iron man." Nick fury walked smugly towards him, face blank as ever. Harry groaned.
"This one, however, I can't stand" Edwin piped up.
A/N: Hey There, Guys! My first original work is basically done, and my muse for HP:IM is back, so here you go. Let me know how you felt about this chapter. Not sure I love it, to be honest.
Anyway, I've decided to try something new with my end of chapter A/Ns as well:
LordofSlytherin's Recent Reading Reccomendations (RRR): I've read quite a few good to great stories in my hiatus, and I thought this would be a great way to share them with you guys.
Departing the Diary – By TendraelUmbra; a damned good story so far. Not complete, but 118k words, with 17 chapters. It's a pretty unique take on the HP series from what I've seen. Harry/Fem! Riddle (slow burn). Female Tom possessed Harry at the end of CoS, after realising he was a Horcrux. Now, they're working together to get her a body and later get modern Voldie off of Harry's back. Umbra actually makes Riddle an interesting character here. 8/10 (would recommend highly to HP fans)
Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin – Ongoing, though occasionally slow to update. A Slytherin! Harry with Wrong boy who lived, though with quite a few twists. Not my favourite Harry Potter Fic, but still good. 7/10