Hello, you beautiful people! After I posted the last chapter, I was up all night thinking about this next chapter and I finally have the rest of the story planned out (which, considering the usual amount of forethought I put into things, is very impressive). Sorry it's a bit short, but I will update again soon! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing!
Disclaimer: The Avengers are not mine. I just enjoy appropriating them and putting them into life-threatening and angsty situations.
Throbbing. That was the first thing Bruce felt when he awoke. His head was pounding, as though his brain wanted to pop out of his skull. This was worse than his last hangover, which, considering he got it by out-drinking Tony in a contest, was pretty awful. Yeah, not one of his best ideas. With a groan, he opened his eyes slowly, shrinking back at the bright light shining down upon his face. He weakly tried to raise his head, but it felt as though filled with lead. Turning his head to the side, he saw the iron bands strapping his arms to the table he is laying on. Wait a minute… he thought. Why am I on a table? He struggled feebly for a moment before running out of energy. God, what am I doing here?
"Ah, I see you have finally decided to rejoin us. I was worried that the serum might have been too potent." The smooth British voice came out of nowhere.
Bruce looked to the right to see a man in a white lab coat approaching the table. The man wore a wide grin upon his tanned face. His black hair was slicked back off of his face, and his dark eyes conveyed intelligence. He strode up to the table Bruce was attached to and began stroking his chin thoughtfully as he looked Bruce up and down.
"Well, you seem to be recovering nicely. Excellent, excellent. We need you strong and healthy, Dr. Banner. Anything less might throw off the experiments."
"What…experiments?" Bruce croaked. His throat was drier than the Sahara. And he would know; it was one of the first stops he'd made on the run from the government.
The mysterious scientist smirked. "On you, of course. Come now, don't tell me this is your first kidnapping and experimentation?" Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"Happens less often than you'd think. Usually the Other Guy doesn't really feel up to it. Speaking of," he added, "how the hell did you get me here without him tearing you apart?"
"Well, it was actually very simple." The man looked off into the distance as though recalling a fond memory. "All I needed to do was access the AI's mainframe and shut it down remotely, to ensure your friend Mr. Stark was out of the way. Then, I just waited for you to enter your room and injected you with a sedative." Bruce nodded, the hazy memories becoming clearer. "That knocked you out quick enough. And then, of course, there was the serum. Oh, I must say, I felt so silly when I realized how to keep the Hulk out of the picture for as long as I needed. How simple an idea! How had none thought of it before me? It was right in front out my face the whole time!" He took a deep breath and looked down at Bruce. He lightly tapped his finger on Bruce's head, earning a low grunt from his victim. "Anyone with the patience to do their research knows that your transformations are triggered by stress, or, more specifically, adrenaline. Of course, the solution to prevent the Hulk from interrupting is to simply block the production of adrenaline!"
"Well, Mr.… well, I suppose I don't actually know your name, do I?"
The man thought about it for a moment. "You can call me… Phoenix."
"In that case, Phoenix, you should know I've investigated the possibility of adrenal gland removal. My blood is unique; there's no suitable replacement that could be used for invasive surgery like that."
Phoenix's eyes glinted with excitement and pride. "Did I say anything about invasive surgery? No, I didn't take out your adrenal glands; after all, I still need you to be able to turn into the Hulk. I just need to control when it happens."
"Then what the hell did you do to me?" Bruce racked his brain for any other possibilities to inhibit and control his adrenaline levels, but nothing came to mind.
Phoenix chuckled at Bruce's obvious confusion. "You see, my dear doctor, I am what you might call….multi-talented. In addition to programming and engineering, I am also an accomplished inventor and chemist. All I had to do was develop a serum that halts the production of adrenaline. It took quite a while, much longer than I'd hoped, but it is finally complete! Once you went under, I injected it into your bloodstream and gave it time to reach the kidneys. Now, you could say, your adrenal glands are sleeping. And they won't wake up until I give you another injection of the opposite use; the next shot will not only awaken your glands but put them into immediate action, forcing you to transform with or without your consent. In essence…I have tamed the Hulk." He looked giddy, like a child on Christmas day. Ugh, Bruce thought. More crazy scientists. Great job keeping them off my scent, SHIELD.
"So," Bruce said quietly. "Now that you've got me under control, what do you plan to do with me?"
"Ah, it is a long story. Far too long for me to recount at the moment. For now, know this: by the time I'm done, you won't be alone anymore." His face grew serious and unfriendly. "Neither of us will."
With that, Phoenix walked to a nearby desk and filled avail with a clear liquid. He proceeded to return to Bruce and sanitize his arm.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
Phoenix looked up at his prey. I still need time to prepare for the experiments. Until then, I think you could use a little extra rest and recuperation." He then inserted the needle into Bruce's arm and emptied it of its contents. Suddenly, Bruce's vision swam.
"Sweet dreams, Dr. Banner."
"What..." Bruce fell into unconsciousness before even finishing his thought.
Phoenix gently pushed a curly lock of Bruce's hair out of his face. "You'll need them."