Life flashed before Banner's eyes as he fell down through the dark abyss. The g-force blasting against his back wasn't what scared him during this great fall; he'd survived plenty before. Frightening voices screamed within his mind, their horrid curses aimed at Banner. Voices, ones that didn't belong to his other half but to the people he couldn't save. These voices were those of the family of Faunus that died in Banner's arms back in Vacuo. Their screams unforgiving and scathing as they took turns to screech within the mind of Banner. "You...ARE NOTHING. WORTHLESS. A MONSTER. SOMEONE WHO LET MY CHILDREN DIE. SOMEONE WHO KILLED MOMMY." The voices stopped for a single second, uniting for the ultimate curse. "YOU, BRUCE BANNER, ARE THE HULK!"
Bruce tried his best to retaliate, "N-no..." It was all he could say to the innocent family he couldn't save. Luckily, Bruce may have a trump card to stop the horrid harassment. If this place was what it was proposing itself to be, he wasn't falling - it was actually the depths of his mind. How did he end up here again? Did he happen to be on the verge of death and retreat here? Had his other half, Hulk, summoned him for conversation? Either way, Bruce's thoughts were violently severed with a sharp knife named reality. "ARGH-," blood spat out of Bruce's mouth as he connected with solid ground. Staring straight up, he saw a small light shining above. This sudden feeling...was this actually death? Bruce had been stabbed, shot and been put through the worst of torture and the Hulk had always saved him. This was different, way different. Bruce groaned, blood dripping down from lips connected to a now broken body. A shadow inched over Bruce's body, revealing someone looking down and emerging from the light. "Y-you?" Even with closing eyes, Bruce was sure he saw a feminine figure - a recognized figure.
"My baby boy," the figure spoke with a voice from heaven itself. "It's okay to give in. Come, join me!" The figure reached down in hopes of grabbing Banner's hand and bringing him with her. He happily obliged, slowly raising his left arm to reach for the figure. Did Banner really want this? YES!
Bruce would do anything to see his mother again! Ignoring the absurd amount of pain crossing his body, his arm lifted expecting to grab his mother's. It had been his dream to meet this wonderful woman again. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing the one who was taken too soon from him! "Mo-," Bruce's lungs struggled to breathe, halting him in his tracks. With the skirmish for breath, pain began to take effect and rush adrenaline throughout the body. Looking back up at the woman, Bruce's judgment became less and less clouded. "N-not yet," he choked on tears as he accepted facts. When would the next time mother and son reunite? It didn't matter. People were depending on the downed man to get up off the ground. Bruce couldn't die, leaving Ruby and her team behind to deal with the world of Remnant.
Seeing Banner's dedication to survival, a smirk formed across the mouth of the female figure. "So, his will is greater than I thought." To be surprised was expected after witnessing Banner's feat of a great fall and fighting to live on. That is, if you were a mortal. The woman who watched from above was no mere mortal but instead, a God. "Heh," the Goddess of Death, Hela chuckled as she continued to watch. "No matter how much you strive to live, Bruce Banner...your soul is mine." The Goddess from another world vowed to snatch the soul of the Incredible Hulk as her ultimate possession. But she would be fair, allowing the connected souls to die without interference. This was her chance, able to easily pull Banner from the living and her domain of Hel. But something else had managed to pull Banner out of Hela's grasp besides pure will alone.
"Hurrr...," A whimper came from the Goddess' side. A noise of worry and the feeling of missing a person they cared for.
"Oh, yes," Hela stated from hearing her captive. "Almost forgot about you, little one," the Goddess smiled as she held a corgi up to her face. Her playful attitude shifted as she sensed the canine's worry around such vile and divine power. "I suppose you want to be set free, little one?" Hela asked and was met with a slight nod. Sighing, the Goddess of Death respected the dog's honesty and it was set on the ground with the utmost care.
Zwei rushed to the hole Hela faced, looking down toward Banner's body. "BARK! BARK! BARK!"
"I suppose you are correct, little creature," Hela said with a slight frown. Time to spend in this universe was diminishing and the Goddess knew it. She was risking alerting the higher entities by her presence alone. It wasn't the Goddess' fault she was drawn to this realm - Banner's soul could have been hers for the taking! If only the host of the Incredible Hulk just rolled over, gave up and died. But no, Banner decided to keep living and Hela's prize, his soul remained with him. Lifting her hand, a portal of pure, green energy grew behind the Goddess and led back to her realm. "Take care of him, dog," she instructed.
"Hurrr..." Zwei didn't know how he would save Banner. Hundreds of feet separated the two. Nevertheless, Zwei would find a way to save the person who gave the best pets!
Peeking her head over, Hela checked to see if her desired soul had given in. "Curses," the Goddess scoffed as she discovered Banner still breathing with a will to live. "There will always be more opportunities for you to be mine, World Breaker." With that, Hela leaned back into the portal made of the magic unknown to Remnant - dissipating and traveling back to her own realm.
Back below the surface, Bruce continued to struggle with a broken body. "AH-," he called out in pain as he attempted to simply sit up. His spine crunched into dust, ribs easily broken along with multiple ligament and joint tears. Looking back up, Bruce wished to see his 'mother' once more. "N-no..." muttering, the figure was no longer there to comfort him. Had he lost the chance to say his goodbye? No, wait - a new figure reemerged to look down upon him. "MOTHER," he yelled to get their attention. Calling back, the figure's words couldn't be recognized. "W-what?" The voice came back, this time it was clear as day...
"BARK! BARK!" Zwei continued.
A frown formed on Bruce's face due to the surprise. He could spare no more tears for the chance to see his mother for a final time. "Darn dog," he sighed from the revelation that he had been seeing Zwei's figure the entire time. Finally, the realization of the situation at hand emerged. "ZWEI," Bruce yelled up at the dog, "ARE YOU OKAY?"
"ARF," the corgi responded with worry and concern in the bark.
Immense agony and the pain of crinkling bones returned as Bruce's broken body tried to move. "Z-ZWEI," he called back up after the pain subsided, "GO GET HELP! GET RUBY," he pleaded. Bruce knew Grimm were on their way due to the negativity - there wasn't time to waste.
"ARF," Zwei nodded down toward Banner, understanding his order. Turning a full 180 with a small leap, the corgi's lack of tail shook before his little legs took off. As the dog ran, he couldn't stop thinking about how this was all his fault. If only he had detected the lone Beowolf that got the jump on the late night walk. Maybe Zwei wouldn't have an injured paw and Banner wouldn't lay several stories underground. Then topping this eventful night off, a mysterious woman appeared out of literal thin air. This could easily be the worst day of Zwei's doggy life but, there wasn't time to dwell. Banner needed to be saved. "ARF," Zwei let out as he raced down several blocks, hurrying to get back to RWBY and Professor Oobleck's building.
Bruce continued to look up toward the hole he fell through. Only dim moonlight greeted the weakened man, shining its beautiful light upon his bloody, beaten body as he gasped for air. "P-please!" Bruce began to plead for the attention of his other half. "HULK," he screamed at the top of his damaged vocal cords. Already strained from yelling at the figure presumed to be his mother, his voice gave out. Bruce's throat was comparable to that of a thousand hornet stings as he tasted blood in the back of his mouth. Luckily, Bruce's sore throat would take a backseat to a greater, horrid pain.
"BANNER," Hulk's powerful voice blasted in his host's mind.
"GAH-," Bruce gasped from the explosion of voice. His ear-drums popped and tore, dripping blood down the side of his head. His entire body went numb - his body going through multiple seizures as Hulk tore into his mind.
"HULK LEAVE PUNY BANNER FOREVER, HOPING HULK NO LONGER SAVES PUNY HUMAN," the green Goliath spoke his heart, explaining his absence. "PUNY BANNER ALWAYS NEED SAVING! RUBY SAFE IF HULK LEAVE!"
Bruce could barely understand his other-half's words, his brain frying due to Hulk's power leaking out. But if he heard things right, Ruby was being kept safe. Is this The Incredible Hulk's way of keeping the most important person to him safe? By leaving without a word and hoping Bruce could keep the lives of Yang, Weiss, Blake and Ruby safe? With his remaining strength, Bruce pushed out a single thought. "Selfish..."
Hulk let out a growl, warning the half in control. "Puny...Banner." The ground began shaking as Banner's body began to tremble.
"W-What?" Bruce asked as he felt the pain subside and his broken ribs begin to reattach themselves to the main cage. Slowly sitting up, he found his spine was readjusted and his tailbone no longer in multiple pieces. "Thank you-,"
"No," Hulk's voice sounded off, still within Banner's mind. "Hulk save you...to save Ruby," he lied. He couldn't bear the thought of Ruby's tears if she believed Banner had died.
"Hulk! Don't go," Bruce pleaded as he held his head within his hands. "WE NEED-," his plea would never go through as it was too late. Bruce could no longer feel the presence of the Hulk. "I-I need you..." So, this was all he was going to get - healing and harsh words from his other half? Nevertheless, Bruce had to make do and get out of this godforsaken place.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Banner heard the scream of a woman behind him. The sound of a high-grade assault rifle aiming quickly followed. "How did you find this place?" The voice asked, this time with determination to shoot. This was evident by the safety of the rifle switching off.
Bruce slowly brought his hands up. "I was wondering the same thing. I'm gonna slowly turn around, got it?"
"H-HEY," the woman yelled as her hostage made the slightest of movements. A bullet exploded out of the barrel, zooming past Banner's head.
Bruce sighed about the trigger-happy woman keeping him at bay. "Listen, I'm only going to say this once. I have had a very bad day. I'm going to slowly turn around, see who you are...and walk away. You can help me get out of here and speed things up and I'd greatly appreciate that. Or, you can just let me be. I don't care which you choose. Do we have ourselves a deal?" Moments past without the woman's response. Taking this as hint, Bruce slowly turned to face his enforcer. A White Fang operator stood, continuing to hold him at gun point.
Even with her mask that resembled a Grimm, the Faunus showed emotion of shock and worry. She gasped at her discovery, "Y-you..."
"Yes, it is me. Bruce Banner, the Hulk." There was no sugar-coating who Bruce was - everyone in Remnant knew. Though, did he know this girl in particular? Sure, the White Fang made enemies of him and the Hulk but this Faunus especially, seemed to know Bruce on a personal level. "Do I know you?"
"You..." the girl repeated, in a trance. Her gun dropped to the side as she looked to the flooring. Her fingers slowly twitched from nervousness and upcoming adrenaline. Looking back up, rage and anger fueled her new actions. "YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!" The girl reached, pulling out a holstered whip.
Bruce tried to defuse the situation. "Miss, I can assure you that you-,"
"DIE!"
"ARG-," blood exploded from Bruce's cough as the girl's whip stabbed into his right shoulder blade - revealing the rope to be woven with a sharp blade.
The girl continued to scream, "YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!" Turning the dial at the whip's grip, the dust type turned to a yellow colored crystal.
"AGH-," Bruce screamed, falling to his knees as electricity flowed through his body. It traveled through the metal blade, right into his open stab-wound and electrocuted his organs and lungs. He fell face first as the girl retracted her weapon that lodged in Bruce's flesh. Turning his head to the right, he was able to get a small glimpse of his attacker. Her mask slid to the side due to her tears to show more of her freckled face - Ilia Amitola, ex lover of Blake Belladonna.
The young Faunus squatted, getting a closer view of Banner's face. "Why you..?" Ilia sniffled, seeing the human man who helped convince Blake to leave the White Fang, and her. "You took her..." she began shaking in anger once more. Standing back up, Ilia raised her right foot above Banner's face. "YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!"
"I'm...sorry," Bruce quickly spoke before a hard boot crashed into his cheek. His surroundings went black as he was stomped into unconsciousness.
"Wakey, wakey," a smug voice taunted. "Oh, COME ON," the voice exhaled with attitude. "Don't tell me that with everything we've been through, you're just going to die like this!"
"Mhmmm," Bruce groaned as he began to slip out of his coma. With his senses coming back, he felt as if he were being held down - each arm held by a single person. "W-what...?" Bruce's eyes began to flicker open, revealing the new surroundings. It would have been an underground cavern, if it wasn't for nothing but pure white up in Bruce's face. No, it was a suit. As the blurriness cleared, he was staring at the face of Roman Torchwick.
"Ah," Roman smiled, "you're alive! Though," he leaned back on his cane and began planning his next move, "I can't decide if that's a hindrance or not." Banner continued to glare at the man who attempted to eliminate Ruby and her team on multiple occasions. "WOW," Roman let out as he realized Banner was at his mercy, "you are sooo much more manageable without that huge, green persona you have." Banner continued to glare. "I don't like your face right now," Roman stated as he saw his prisoner's expression. "Change it-," he aimed the end of his cane to Banner's forehead, "Now."
The White Fang member who held down Banner's left arm quickly spoke up, "S-sir! You could trigger the Hulk!" There was slight fear in their voice from hearing of the Green Scar's rampage across Remnant.
Roman's finger tickled the trigger to his cane, so antsy to shoot. He groaned loudly, "GAH!" The notorious Torchwick lowered his modded firearm, taking pressure off Banner's forehead.
Seeing the opportunity at hand, Bruce seized it. "Aw, the great Roman Torchwick talked down by a simple Faunus? How incredibly sad," Bruce shook his head in disappointment. Hopefully, this performance was able to get a rise out of the egotistical criminal.
Torchwick's eyelids narrowed, his glare intensifying ten fold by Banner's taunt. He spat through his gritting teeth, "Maybe I should put that bullet in your noggin..."
The Faunus continued to plead to Torchwick, "S-SIR! He's trying to bait you-,"
"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T," Bruce let out with a hidden smirk, continuing his performance. "We wouldn't want a repeat of last time would we, Torchwick? How far do you think I can kick you this time?" Roman's left eye began to twitch, showing signs of murderous intent. Even with all of Bruce's fake confidence and insults, there was worry a bullet would lodge into his skull. Would Bruce actually die?
"ENOUGH," Torchwick yelled in Banner's face. He knew this game and was a master of it. There was no way Roman, the experienced criminal, was going to fall for a novice's poker-face. But by god, he sure did want to paint Vale in Banner's blood. Every once in a while, Roman's chest would ache from that horrid night at the docks - the night that a huge, green leg kicked him across the shipment yard like a soccer-ball. He muttered as he raised his cane like a blunt weapon, "Just one strike..." The Faunus froze in fear as the thought of the Hulk rampaging due to the impending action.
Bruce quickly shut his eyes as he flinched, awaiting the impending whack against his skull. "COME ON!"
"ROMAN," a familiar voice came to Banner's aid. "Halt at once!"
Torchwick groaned in disappointment as his pinata escaped a whack, "Damn..." Turning, he found Ilia - the one who could boss him around. Along with that, she was the one who found Banner in the first place.
"Y-you," Bruce said as he remembered what must have been mere moments ago.
"Oh, that's right," Roman smiled and let loose a light chuckle. He looked to Ilia and then Banner, "I presume you two have met? Of course you have," Roman said with a twirl of his cane. "We had to pry her off you," he informed Banner. "Apparently, she mistook your face for a doormat."
Bruce's tongue felt around the back of his mouth, feeling loose teeth and the tasting a hint of blood. "That explains it..."
"What is the meaning of this?" Ilia asked, brushing Roman's joke to the side. This was no laughing matter to the Faunus appointed by Adam Taurus himself. While she did plant her boot into Banner's cheekbone multiple times, she did so out of anger and a broken heart.
"Oh, come on," Torchwick sighed as Ilia approached. "Such a good joke..." Roman shook his head in disappointment about Ilia being so uptight and serious.
"Leave us," Ilia ordered. The Faunus looked to Roman, then back to Ilia - deciding to finally to release their hold on Banner. They ran as soon as their fingers left Banner's skin, worried the Green Scar would be upon them. "Cowards," Ilia cursed toward the retreating Faunus as she brought her whip out of its holster once more. Flicking her wrist, her weapon wrapped around Banner's torso and trapped his arms.
"Rgh-," Bruce grunted as Ilia's mechanical whip tightened around his frail body. It was already rendering him slight of breath and beginning to leave marks.
Torchwick questioned her tactic as Banner was hindered. "Wrapping him up like a present? Eh, it's creative at least-,"
"Move along, Roman," Ilia interrupted. "The order was for you as well."
"Excuse me?" Torchwick questioned. While it was true Roman was second in command, he was rarely given orders from Ilia. Now wasn't the time to be told what to do, especially in front of the captive. Banner was right where Torchwick wanted - at his mercy!
"You heard me," Ilia said with a cold tone. "I won't repeat myself." Banner couldn't help but crack a small smile, even through the squeezing pain that wrapped around his chest. Even in Roman's best moments, the poor criminal couldn't catch a break.
"Come on," Torchwick whispered as he leaned into Ilia's ear, "not now. I cannot have him see me take orders from a girl-,"
"ROMAN," Ilia yelled, focusing her attention on the incompetent criminal. "Do as told, not as you want." Ironic, Ilia of all people would recite a lesson her father constantly reminded. Great, now old memories resurfaced - memories of Ilia's parents telling her not to give in to hate and attack her human peers. Now, she was leading an assault that would end with dozens of human fatalities. Oh, what Ilia's parents would think if they saw her now...
Backing up, Torchwick saw this Faunus wasn't giving in to his manipulative ways. Ilia was in charge and she was giving the orders. Roman gritted his teeth, almost scraping off the tops. "As. You. Wish." Retreating, he lowered his bowler-hat to avoid eye-contact with Banner.
"Gah," Ilia shook her head at the incompetent Torchwick as he returned to boss around the other White Fang. "The nerve of that man..."
"So," Bruce said and brought Ilia out of her train of thought, her eyes locking onto him, "why do this?"
"Excuse me?"
Gazing into the Faunus' gray eyes, Bruce saw a girl just trying to decide on what was right. "I can see it in your eyes," he explained. Even in his predicament, Bruce managed a warm smile to show he meant no harm. A quick volt of electricity slithered up his body. "GEH-,"
"I do the talking," Ilia informed as she stopped her weapon's dust activation, "understand?" Banner glared up at her from a failure of a peaceful opening. "Now, what to do with you?" Options swirled, each one having Banner groveling in the dirt. "Maybe...kill all of your friends?"
"N-NO," Bruce yelled without hesitation. Damn, now his interrogator knew how to hurt him.
"Heh," Ilia chuckled as she let loose a sinister smile. "What was the little girl's name? Ruby, I think it was. We'll kill her first," Ilia continued with her verbal assault. "Then move on to her sister, the blond bimbo." Ilia said what came to mind, hoping to keep up a rhythm to harass Banner. "We won't kill the princess, she's worth something. Next, we'll kill the Bella..." she froze in her tracks - Blake and her kind nature reemerging in Ilia's mind.
Seeing the blush that coated the Faunus' body, Bruce realized - Blake was one. "I...did this to you, didn't I?"
"Shut your mouth," Ilia stated as she wiped away hints of tears.
"You think I took Blake from the White Fang. Took her..." Bruce paused, seeing blushes reform on Ilia's body, "from you. I can assure you, Blake left this organization by her own free will. But if you love her and I can see you do, you have great taste. Blake is a strong, independent and courageous woman who would't let innocence die from a mad-man. Maybe you love her for that reason," Bruce connected pieces and began to understand. "I don't think you're White Fang but, a girl looking for somewhere where to fit in. And, someone to fit in with?"
Why was Banner so...nice? Wasn't this the same man who slaughtered Ilia's brothers and sisters at Vale's docks those many nights ago? The same man who took Blake, her love, away from her? Yet, this same man showed more compassion and humanity to Ilia than the very Faunus she was fighting for. He knew Ilia was conflicted on Adam's ideology and showed more love than the entirety of the White Fang's cause. Maybe, Banner really did care about Ilia. "I-I..." the Faunus didn't know how to respond. The idea of Blake being with her clouded thoughts along with Banner's words that seemed to be true. "I-I can't leave," she said with her voice lowered. "This is what I want...what my people need me to do."
Bruce saw through Ilia's defense to deflect his words. "I don't believe that and I know you don't either. I know you have feelings for Blake Belladonna and don't trust Adam Taurus with his ways. I know-,"
BOOM
Banner landed on his face due the sheer force of an explosion as Ilia was pushed back. Gunfire rang out as everyone was taken aback from the sudden attack. "INTRUDERS," the look-out yelled to the other White Fang.
"GET TO THE TRAIN, NOW," Torchwick instructed.
An operative to Roman's side objected, "But Sir! We're not ready-,"
Torchwick's cane slammed into the White Fang member's throat, pinning him to one of the many train cars. "When I say something, follow." Releasing the Faunus, Roman looked to the intruders and gritted his teeth to find Team RWBY fighting to find their monster.
"No, wait!" Sitting up, Bruce no longer saw Ilia Amitola - only a White Fang recruit wearing their mask. "What about Blake-," he was cut short as an all too familiar boot crashed into his skull. Darkness surrounded once more as he fell into unconsciousness.
Alright, i'm back with an official chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but hopefully this longer chapter holds up for lost time. The next chapter shall be the finale to my version of V2 then we can move onto V3. From here on out, there shall be major and drastic changes from the show. Thanks for reading and make sure you let me know what you guys think