( helicarrier )
Cap, June and Optimus were confronting Pym.
"What in the name of God were you thinking?!" Captain America demanded, his words echoing through the conference room.
Pym was massaging his head "I was trying to settle his problem once and for all. What did you want me to do, kill him?"
"And this was better?" Cap demanded. He shook his head as he gazed out the window. "I can't believe this…you, Reed, Namor, Black Bolt, Strange and Xavier…how long have you been making choices for all of us?"
"It's not that simple…"
"That's always the excuse, nothing is simple. " June said " Then explain it in simple terms. "
"Mrs Darby, the point of our teaming was to try and guide the superhuman community, to help us make the choices that could help the world itself."
"And exiling Dr. Banner was helping?" Optimus asked, raising an eyebrow
" Optimus, he was out of control, he was killing people…"
Cap slammed a fist on the table. "Hank…you know as well as I that if the Hulk was causing mass casualties, we'd have taken him down years ago."
Hank Pym rubbed at his face. "What is the problem, Steve? That we've been working like this or because we didn't let you in on it?"
"Yes!" Cap fired back. "That is the problem, Hank. You all didn't let anyone else in on it : You didn't tell us, Reed didn't tell his family, Xavier didn't tell his students. You all decided that you and only you, had the right to make choices that would define and change the entire world and the rest of us didn't count."
"T'challa does that all the time…"
"Do not try to diminish your fault by comparing it to T'challa. He is a king, Hank Pym." Optimus pointed out. "So are Black Bolt and Namor. No one elected you, no one chose you, no one decided you were the one to represent us in everything. But you decided to do whatever it took to make sure you got your own way and dismiss anyone who got in your path."
Cap leaned on the table to glare at his former friend. "Does that sound like someone we both know?"
( another room )
Reed Richards was taking a deep breath for the one he was talking to was really trying his patience.
" You amaze me Richards : Each time I think you can't fall lower in stupidity, you dig yourself deeper. " Doom stated " Exiling the Hulk ? You had to know it would not succeed and that it would just enrage him further." He shook his head. "You and Pym, acting from on high. Leave such responsibilities to those who can shoulder them, Richards."
Reed sighed. "It wasn't an easy choice, Victor. But I believed it was best to give him something that could make him happy."
" So you used a LMD of Nicholas Fury to lure him onto it and blasted him into deep space without consulting any of your fellow 'heroes' including his best friend. I must admit that it is the first time I truly respect you for using deception on a former friend. " Doom responded
"Victor, if you want to throw around your superiority, fine," Reed snapped. "But this is a global crisis. The Hulk is threatening the entire Earth and that includes Latveria. So it's in your best interests to help us."
"Doom decides his best interests, Richards," the armored man fired back. "And I believe that this is a case where you must clean your own manure."
"Victor, we…need your help."
"I have no doubt of that," Doom dryly stated. "But I will put Latveria first. Not even Optimus Prime and Jennifer Darby can change my mind. The Hulk will find a true challenge should he turn his intentions to Doom's land." He leaned forward. "Do not call on me again, Richards."
As the viewscreen went blank, Reed let out a tired sigh. He'd known getting Victor to help was impossible but he had to make the effort. Which was also the reason for his next call.
" I already refused to help when your fiance called me, Richards. What chance do you have to convince me ? " Namor rhetorically asked
"Namor…I know we've had difficulties…"
"Difficulties?" Namor glared. " Namora is killed and you wanted to work with her murderers. Then you decided to clone Thor and created the monster who killed Bill Foster. Then you wanted to send those who will not submit to this Law in the negative zone. Now this…" He shook his head. "I warned you, Richards. I warned you four that this would happen and now it has. And I told you then, I will not stand in his path."
"Namor…"
"Silence, Richards," Namor snapped. " As of this moment, Atlantis is cutting off all contact with the surface world. If the Hulk wishes to wipe out your land masses, so be it. Even he will have no care for what lies under the other three-fourths of the planet."
"Namor, you cannot…"
"You reap what you sow," the Sub-Mariner snapped. " Farewell, Richards." He then cut the transmission
"Pointy-ears seems more angry than usual." Ben snarked, having just entered " Stretcho, I've known you since we were kids. I followed you through everything but this... "
" Ben, you know how Hulk is. You told me yourself. " Reed said
" I never wanted you to send him in Space ! " Ben yelled " Damn, Reed, what were you thinking?! You had to know it wouldn't work! It never works!"
"We couldn't cure him, Ben," Reed said. "So this was the next best choice."
The flicker of pain and rage in his friend's blue eyes let Reed know he'd said the wrong thing
" Oh so you are saying that Rick, Jenny and I will have our own trip in space, huh ?! " Ben demanded
"Of course not. You're my friends." Reed said
"So was Bruce," Ben glowered. "And you and Pym decided to do this on your own. We're family, Reed, we're supposed to trust each other! You're trying to force Suzie to leave you ?! "
"Of course not!" Reed said. "But you haven't seen the math, Ben! You didn't see all the statistics for disaster if the Act isn't passed."
"The only math I see, Reed," Ben said, pointing a rocky finger at him. "Is the one I always hoped would never happens finally happened."
"What's that?" Reed asked
" Strecho = Doc Doom." Ben answered
( With Cap )
The doors of the conference room were ripped from their hinges and Jen, Arcee and Spiderman entered, the latter having took off his mask to show he was enraged. " You bastard ! " he yelled
" What's happening ? " Cap asked
" We went through Pym's laptop to see what was his plans and we found out he told secret identities to the governement. Even Jen's and Spidey's. " The angry Arcee said, making June turned towards Pym.
She then slapped him in the face.
" And he wanted to ally himself with Green Goblin. " Spiderman added "You know what he is, Hank!" Peter yelled. "You know what that freak has done to my life! He's a merciless killer and you want to just let him walk around because, oh gee, you need him to arrest guys who are trying to help people!"
" It wasn't only Osborn, but Bullseye, Scorpion, Taskmaster, Deathstrike, Shriek and others like them. " Jen added
" Do not scold me, Jen. Need I remind you that you teamed up with Punisher and Moon Knight. " Pym said, glaring at her
" And I'll do it with a hundred like them rather than a single one like Osborn. Because Castle and Spector never hurt innocents, while Osborn and Bullseye do it for fun. " Jen fired back.
" They have nanotech in them to stop them. " Pym said
" It's Norman Fucking Osborn ! " Peter yelled, surprising everyone in the room " He will find a way around. "
" Hum, Optimus, I just realized something : If the governement now know my secret identity, it means that their web could be hacked and someone could find my adress and it could lead them to our base. " Jen said, horrified
" I think you're right Jennifer. We will move out from our base. " Optimus said
Just then, Carol Danvers bursted into the room.
" Hulk is on the move. He is heading to Westchester. " She said
" He is after Xavier. " Cap realised
" But Charles wasn't there when we voted, Hulk has no reason to go after him. " Pym said
" Yeah and we know Hulk's extraordinary power is logic. " Jen snarked
" Carol, gather every heavy hitters and meet me to the quinjet. That include you two. " Cap said to Peter and Jen.
" Huh Cap, I truly need to let out some steam but this is Hulk. " Peter said
" Don't be a wimp, Peter. You go with us. " Jen said, taking him and Arcee by the arms
" Captain, if anything happens to my daughter, you'll have to deal with me. Now, I'll go and prepare the sick bay." June warned him before going away.
" Damn, she can be really scary. " Carol commented, with Cap nodding
" June Darby is a mother, Mrs Marvel. No matter how much Jennifer will grow up, June will always see her as her little girl. " Optimus said
( Quinjet )
Carol was sitting next to Clint, still tense while the back of the craft held Captain America, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Hercules, the Thing, Iron Fist, A-bomb, Gammazone, Arcee, Wonder Man and the Wasp.
"So…no chance Tony's got Clor up and running again ? " Gammazone aske
" Not since I teared that abomination to scraps, Amazon of gamma. " His gaze fell upon the Wasp. "Your fiance should feel shame at such defilement, Janet Van Dyne."
" Not my fiance since a while, Herc. " Wasp said
" I don't know if Bill Foster would have cared about that, Jan. " Wonder Man said
" Yeah, don't know about you, but it really ticked me off to see a tall blond man killing Bill." Luke added
" We're here. " Hawkeye said
Down there, Hulk was fighting against almost all the X-Men. And he was winning.
" Cap, let me talk to him. I must try. " A-bomb asked
Steve nodded and gave orders. " Clint, you park the quinjet and you join us. Carol, Luke, Ben, Hercules, Simon, Jen, Arcee, Peter, Rick, Danny, go now!" Without any pause, Carol rose from her seat and headed to a nearby doorway, opening it up and leaping out, the others soon following as the Quinjet piled away.
Down below, the Hulk smacked aside the Beast, the blue X-man just rolling enough with the blow to land on a pile of rubble nearby. The Hulk heard the oncoming rush of new fighters and looked up to see them flying down toward him. He backed up as Rick Jones landed first and stood up from the small crater under his feet. Behind him, the other heroes gathered around, ready to fight but willing to let him try.
" Hey Bruce, what's up ? " He asked in a friendly tone
Hulk just glared at him. Rick decided to stop joking around.
" We didn't know, Bruce. I swear we didn't know. " Rick added
" I know, Rick. " Hulk snorted " But that won't change what they did."
" Bruce, if you continue this path, you'll prove everyone that you are what they thought. " Rick pleaded
" If that's the monster they want, I'll give them the monster. Out of my way, Rick." Hulk snarled
" Bruce, you can't..." Rick tried to say, but Hulk just smashed him in the face, sending him flying backward, Simon Williams barely catching him so both went down.
" It's Clobbering time ! " Ben yelled, running forward
" You want a rematch, Grimm ? Fine. " Hulk snorted
He met the charge with his metallic arm and smashed the Thing with a savage blow. Ben gasped, seeing stars as he realized too late that the Hulk wasn't holding back as he often did. That was confirmed by another fist smacking into his gut. He managed to dodge another to punch the Hulk across the jaw but it lacked the strength he intended and didn't slow the Hulk down in the least.
Ms. Marvel let out a blast of energy that struck him across the shoulders, the Hulk grunting at the blow but still not effected. He saw Jen and Arcee running towards him and grabbed the Thing's shoulders, spinning him around and using him like a baseball bat to smash the two back.
Luke Cage and Iron fist entered the fray next and the Hulk brought his foot down hard, sending out a shockwave that tore up the ground under the Heroes for Hire. The Hulk was on them with incredible speed to smash Cage's nose in with a savage blow and then backhanded Danny on Carol.
A whirling sound cut through and he turned just in time to catch Captain America's shield before it could hit him and he used it to hit Hercules, who was jumping towards him.
" Do you really think you can do this all day, Rogers ? " Hulk snarled
" Your anger against the Illuminatis doesn't excuse your actions, Hulk " Cap said, showing no fear at the monster before him. "I'm not going to let you just rip this planet apart."
Hulk snorted, seeing Spidey, Wasp, Arcee and Jen ready to fight.
" Just you, the bugs and the newbies ? I expected more of a fight. " He taunted
" Don't forget me ! " Hawkeye yelled, before shooting an arrow that hit him in the face. It seemed to burst into a cloud of acidic vapor that caused the Hulk to gasp out. He stumbled back, his eyes watering as he wiped at his face.
" Cap, that's your cue. " Clint said
" AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE ! " Cap yelled