Behind His Quiet Lies: Part Two
By: Villain's Vindication
In all his traveling, Banner had treated many mutants. He had a certain fondness for them and they were always thankful and generous. He knew they didn't see much kindness in these prejudiced days. And everywhere he went they accepted him as a sort of adoptive mutant. The Hulk, Spiderman, and the Fantastic Four were brethren to the mutant cause. Their own genetic uniqueness might have come form fateful accidents, but the result was the same.
Currently Bruce was caring for a small family of mutants hiding out in Bolivia. They weren't family by blood of course, mutants so rarely were. But the people had ways of finding one another, building their own families where they knew they'd be safe. One of the little ones had contracted Chicken Pox a few days ago, and Bruce was living with them all until he was sure the girl would come out all right.
Mutants all reacted so differently to viruses so common to regular homo sapiens.
He owed them all as well. They had found him naked in the jungle, god knows how they did, but they brought him to their home and clothed and fed him. He had to tell them the truth about who he was then, but he was fairly sure by their lack of reaction that they had already suspected.
He was notorious in South America after all.
But they weren't going to throw him out for something he couldn't control. They understood what that was like well enough.
Thankfully even after Hulking Out, his backpack had stayed, dangling by a strap on his arm. So he still had some basic supplies, his Avengers communicator,... and the bomb. All of which he had secreted away from the family. The last thing on earth he needed was for some tiny fingers to touch something so dangerous.
The communicator had been Tony's final gift to him. SHIELD always monitored him, always knew where he was anyways, so having the tracker didn't bother him like it once would have.
Plus it was a direct line to Tony, something that had, surprisingly, been more of a comfort to him in these past months than the cold steel of the grenade.
He walked outside to its hiding place among the brush. It was probably about time he called Ironman. He had long since run out of supplies, and now he scarcely knew where he was. As much as he hated asking for help, the equipment Stark had loaned him had really made a big difference. He hadn't been aware before of how he was just barely scraping by. Up until then that's how he had always lived, so he never noticed.
He popped his back as he filled the communicator open. Long hours at the girl's bedside were taking their toll. Tony's face flickered into view almost immediately, "Hey it's Big Green! You alright man? I head you made a mess of Peru."
Bruce grimaced. He hadn't wanted to think about that. Here he was secluded away from the repercussions of his latest transformation. He'd been able, at least on the surface, to dodge any guilt. "Yeah... well what would you say to a vacation Stark? I'm on this real steamy property in Bolivia. The place is crawling with ladies. Why not join me with a new sack of supplies?"
He wasn't going to tell Stark that the 'ladies' were only fifteen and sixteen and six years old. He laughed in the back of his mind.
"You don't have to ask twice Banner. Honestly, I'd use any excuse to escape. Lately SHIELD's been wanting me to do work. How insane is that?," the man winked conspiratorially. Bruce smiled affectionately, he knew that really all the man did was work, despite his lazy playboy reputation.
"And it'll be good to see you again Bruce. I've been missing that sexy brain of yours," the com clicked off before Bruce could think to reply. He blushed and shook his head in disbelief.
Tony's flirting would be the death of him.
"La Hermandad! Es la Hermandad! Ya están aquí!"
Bruce turned to look at the girls running out of the house towards him. Their panicked voices confused him.
Who was the Brotherhood?
The women ran behind him and he held out an arm to protect them as a group walked over casually. Bruce's eyes widened in fear as he took in the notorious mutant team. He didn't know the specifics, but any idiot could recognize Magneto when he saw him.
Shit. Fuck. Cunt. Fucking Hell.
Tony was on his way and normally the thought would comfort him, but not now. Magneto could crush him with nothing more than a thought. And he couldn't call him to warn him, the class five mutant would rip the communicator from his hand before the first button was pressed.
Fuck.
The Hulk's consciousnesses rippled below the surface. He was going to have to let loose if it came to a fight. None of the girls had any combative powers. They would be defenselessness.
Bruce took a deep breath that was released in a low growl, his eyes glowing bright green. He let his fear for the lives of the girls, for Tony, overwhelm him.
This was the part he hated most, even more than the aftermath, even more than seeing the destruction he unleashed on the world. Here, between one breath and the next, his emotions let the Hulk spill forth and they were one in the same.
It was this feeling that kept him up most nights.
The knowledge that, for all his distancing himself from the monster, for all his 'Other Guy' talk, he and the Hulk were actually the same person.
That it was really all his fault.
But then his mind fell into the blackness of the Hulk and he knew no more.
The Brotherhood paused as they watched the too skinny doctor become the nightmarish monster. Magneto had not prepared for this. His intelligence had only known of the mutants, not of any green friends of theirs. But his concern only lasted a moment as he sensed something even more dangerous in the scientists possession.
"Stark weaponry is a rare find theses days, Hulk," Magneto raised his hand and smirked, "but I can recognize his signature metal anywhere." His fingers barely twitched and the grenade flew out of the backpack past the Hulk's head. In a panic the creature's arm darted after it, grabbing it midair in his immobile grip.
But the grenade's pin continued on until it was clasped in Magneto's waiting hand.
Time slowed to a halt as Hulk looked at the ticking time bomb in his palm. He smiled tiredly. Well this had been in the cards all along hadn't it? This is what he brought the damned weapon for. He had planned to try a cure once more before using it, but the cure would have failed anyways, just like all the others. This way just accelerated his plans.
And that wasn't so bad.
He had to protect the girls though, so he looked back into their horrified eyes and gave them a wane smile. At least the Brotherhood would most likely just kidnap them. They weren't known for hurting their own kind after all. He the crouched down low and launched himself into the sky. He had to get as high as possible before the bomb exploded.
While he was soaring through the air, crashing through layers of clouds, the Hulk realized he wouldn't get far enough away fast enough. He had to dampen the explosion further somehow.
He had to use his own body.
"Sir there is a bogie at twelve o'clock," JARVIS's smooth voice reported inside Ironman's helmet. "Oh? Zoom in on it JARVIS. What is it? I thought we were in the middle of... nowhere..." Tony's voice drifted off in horror as the specks appeared in front of his eyes. The roaring in his ears made it so he couldn't even hear JARVIS replying that it appeared to be Bruce Banner. He could see that well enough.
The Hulk was flying in the air and warnings of all sorts had popped up red and flashing as his computer recognized one of his own creations.
The Omega Grenade.
And it was activated.
"Sir, I suggest immediate evasive maneuvers. We will be to close to the explosion when-"
"Shut up!" Tony screamed half out of his mind. Where the hell where that had come from? When did Bruce get it? What was he doing? How was he going to stop it? He couldn't stop it. Oh god, HE COULDN'T STOP IT!
His visor zoomed in close on Hulk's face. Tony nearly vomited in the suit as he watched his friend swallow the bomb.
No.
And then there was only red and orange and noise and spinning and pain and-