I'm so glad people are still excited to read this! You have all warmed the deepest cockles of my heart. Now, I know I usually try to alternate between Tony's and Bruce's storylines, but I know I left such a cliffhanger and I feel like I owe it to everyone to offer a bit more Bruce/Phoenix angst. So here we are! Thank you again to everyone, and keep on reviewing!
Disclaimer: Well… I own Phoenix, I guess. He's no Bruce or Tony, but I suppose he'll do.
"…Little brother?" Bruce ventured, his eyes wide and jaw agape. His entire insides seemed to turn to jelly.
"Well, half-brother, technically. Same mother, very different fathers. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept." Phoenix suppressed a bitter smile as he watched his younger sibling try to absorb what he'd just been told.
"But…how? Neither of them ever told me. Where were you?" Bruce looked at his brother in bewilderment, unable to get up as his legs were weak and shaking from the pronouncement. Then again, maybe they were just weak from being strapped down and tortured for God knows how long. By his brother. Dear God, did Phoenix really just say they were related?
"Well, I am going to kill you, so I suppose I owe you some sort of explanation." Phoenix sighed. "Two years before your parents were to be wed, our mother met my father, John Engelmann. They were both young and in love, and nine short months later, I was born. My father wanted to take her and I away where we wouldn't be found, but she insisted she had to stay. She had been promised to your father, and she was determined to honor her family and go through with the marriage, no matter how she detested him. For the first several years of my life, my mother was only able to visit me two, maybe three times a week, if she was lucky. She would tuck me into bed and sing 'Sweet Violets' as I drifted into sleep." For a moment, Phoenix's eyes dropped the shields protecting him and he appeared peaceful, lost in a memory. Suddenly, his head snapped to face Bruce, his mouth pulled into a vicious sneer. "Then, right around the time you were born, she began to come less and less often. My father simply told me that she was busy, but I was patient. I relished every chance I got to see her. Without warning, she stopped coming entirely. My father began crying almost daily, but he refused to explain why. He was never the same. Years passed and I thought about her, dreamed about her, prayed to whatever deity was out there to let me see her one last time!" His voice rose up in anguish and Bruce thought for a moment, he actually saw a tear forming in Phoenix's eye. "Just a few years ago, my father lay on his deathbed, taking what would be his last breaths before cancer his consumed him. I, of course, was right by his side when he pulled me close and told me what had happened to my mother. The real reason she stopped coming to visit me. The real reason he was crying that day. The reason why I would never see her again." His hands clenched into fists, his body trembling ever so slightly with rage. "He told me it was my job to avenge her. To make sure this never happened to anyone else ever again! And he told me to start with you."
"What do you want with me?" Bruce said. "I had nothing to do with her death!"
Phoenix let out a cruel laugh streaked with pain and indignation. "Au contraire. Maybe you weren't the one who killed her, but you were the real reason she stayed with that monster. If it weren't for you, she would have been with me. She would have lived!" He took a moment to regain his composure, deep breaths echoing down the cold hallway. "However, that is not the reason I need you. Look at me, Brucie. What could someone like me do to stop monsters like your father? Skinny, weak, helpless… I wouldn't stand a chance. But then I looked at you, as my father asked. How the wheels began to turn! I knew what I needed to do. I needed to copy your ability and transfer it to me. I needed to be strong like you! With the Hulk's power at my disposal, no one would be able to stop me!"
Bruce shook his head in shock. "Don't you see? These powers are a curse, not a gift! They've ruined my life! They're uncontrollable!"
"Maybe to you, but that's why I've needed to experiment." Phoenix strode back towards the control panel and resumed typing. "I believe I've found a way to ensure that the Hulk state is controllable and repressible, if I should so wish. We're down to the final stage, little brother, and then there'll be no more need for you." With a small smile, he typed in the last number and stood back. "This is the last test, and then the serum will be complete. With this in mind, I would like to say a final farewell, as the chances of you surviving this are rather unlikely. Thank you for your time."
Bruce ran to the glass wall, mustering up the strength to stand. "Wait, Phoenix, you don't want to do this!" His hands pressed against the glass in one last attempt to stop his captor.
There was a flicker in Phoenix's eyes. A flicker of sorrow, of love, of uncertainty. But it passed within a moment, and Bruce watched as his brother stepped forward to the control panel. With one move, the power was activated and a low beep filled the room.
Bruce screamed as the Hulk fought to break through to the surface. His muscles were changing back and forth rapidly, his eyes flitting between brown and an angry green. He collapsed to the ground, the pain clouding his mind. Yet, in his torment, Bruce could have sworn he heard something slip past Phoenix's clenched lips, his eyes shut tight.
"I'm sorry, mother."
With that, Bruce gave in to the darkness and his mind faded to black.