Faux Pas

Chapter Ten

Horns blared as the reckless figure weaved in and out through traffic, russet hair flying as she pedaled furiously. She couldn't see the military vehicle as it had gotten a head start, but luck was on her side as they were using a siren to hurry through traffic that was steadily becoming busier as they ventured further into the city. The tires skidded as she swerved to avoid crashing into a dingy yellow cab, ignoring the drivers curses. The grey sky stretched overhead, thick with rolling rainclouds.

"Smith, you do not have the proper clearance to-" started the SHIELD agent that had received her call, but Bridgette wasn't having it.

"We're about to have a Hulk in the city!" she shouted over the wind. "How's that for clearance!" The line was transferred immediately without another word. Bridgette took a hard left to avoid the busy lanes of heavy traffic that flooded the intersection, nearly tipping over but managed to recover in time.

"This is Fury. Go."

"Ross's men jumped Bruce at the school," she explained in between breaths, eyes sharply watching for people and cars. "They gave him adrenaline, and I could really use your eye in the sky at the moment! I can't see them-Hey, out of the way!" she shouted at the tourist family that was blocking the entire width of the sidewalk. They barely managed to jump aside in time, the bike's wheels almost catching their toes.

"Are you in pursuit?" asked Fury.

"Yes, I'm in pursuit!" she shouted, taking the next available right. The oncoming car was close enough for her elbow to touch as they laid on the horn. "I stole some kid's bike and I'm in heavy traffic! A little help would be nice! Shouldn't it be easy to track some military truck?"

"I've got your location," said Fury. There was a beat of silence on his end of the line as Bridgette continued to bike past cars, her enhanced strength providing her with excellent speed. To be honest, she was worried about the bike lasting long enough. She caught the sound of the siren as it was much louder now. The wheels squealed as she took the first available turn, skid marks in her wake.

"Two streets over from your current location," alerted Fury. "It looks like they're heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge."

Ricochet swore under her breath. She didn't realize how far they were into the city. Judging by the slow moving traffic and the backed up streets, it was rush hour as people were leaving work and school. Her next turn let her out of an alley and her gaze narrowed as she saw the vehicle up ahead.

"I see them!" Pushing even harder against the pedals, body not touching the bike seat, she growled as the road started to incline the closer they got to the bridge. It was filled with cars and people. Now thunder was rumbling with light flashes of lighting scattered among the clouds.

"Back up is on its way," Fury informed her. She barely heard him as her breath caught in her throat as the body of the truck started to sway dangerously as something inside fought to get free.

"We don't have time!" she shouted, scarcely avoiding another cab as she used the narrow space in between lanes to her advantage. "He's Hulking out now!"

Despite the precarious driving, the vehicle was still heading up the bridge at full speed. The other cars that were already present were trying to pull off to the side as per protocol of noticing a siren. The thrashing was getting worse at the truck was hitting nearby cars with the force as they plowed on, Bridgette just managing to avoid them.

"You've got to get the people off the bridge!" she told Fury. "I don't know what they're playing at, but people are going to be seriously hurt!"

The delicate hairs of her body stood on end as she could hear the first roar of the Hulk. She was so close now, the driver slowing down due to being unable to control the forward motion any longer, the enhanced metal becoming dented from the inside-out. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the blockade that had been set up on the bridge, the original cause of the stalled traffic. There weren't construction workers but men dressed in dark clothing and protective gear, drawing weapons. She swore another oath as she pushed herself harder. She reached out with her right hand, almost able to grab the handle to the back door.

"Fury, they planned this! This is all a set up-" She was promptly interrupted when the body of the truck suddenly burst open in an angry explosion of green gamma and an ear splitting roar.

The force sent her flying back the way she had arrived, skidding across the pavement, and somersaulting until she crashed into the front of a stopped car. Hiss sounded from the car as Bridgette took a moment to gingerly sit up on the hood, rubbing the back of her head.

"Okay...that hurt..."

Noise was overwhelming and silent all at once as people started to scream and panic, hurrying out of their cars and rushing to get off the bridge for their own safety. The military men took their place as they pointed their guns at the enormous form of the Hulk. Her heart picked up in rate as she was quickly back on her feet. The green giant was breathing hard as he looked around, disoriented by his location. His hands opened and closed into large fists as he became aware of the men and their weapons.

"Stand down! Stand down!" shouted Bridgette as she hurried to close the distance between herself and the ignorant men who were about to be in a world of hurt. There was the sound of a helicopter approaching and General Ross's voice sounded over the earpieces assigned to the men. Thunder clapped loudly as the rain was unleashed on the city.

"Fire!"

Bullets sounded off from all angles as they surrounded the Hulk. He roared again as he was struck, his giant footsteps making the bridge quake. His large arms swung at the ones closest to him, sending them flying back.

"No! Hulk, stop!" she tried. Those people wouldn't be able to handle the strength of the gamma beast and he could very well kill them with a good enough strike. Her breath caught as she saw him bring his fist up again and not for a swipe. She acted quickly as she was now within the range of action.

"No!" Throwing the man with the gun bodily aside, she took the impact of Hulk's fist full on in his place, unable to bring her arms up in time to decently defend herself. It was quick and slow all at once, every action registering to her at a delayed pace. Her pupils shrunk to the size of pin pricks as the giant fist collided with her stomach, fitting under her ribs in complete contact. The force sent her soaring back and drilled her into the bridge's pavement as a result, shrapnel flying at her body's connection. The edges of her vision dimmed, as if someone had lowered the intensity of the lights, and her hearing was temporarily uncertain.

"Smith, are you still there?" called Fury over the ear piece, his voice fluctuating in clarity. "Smith!"

"I take it back...that hurt..." she managed to croak, the rain falling directly on her face.

Her body protested as she forced herself to roll onto her side, shaking as she pushed herself onto all fours. She had taken hits from all sorts of people, the experiments of Dr. Zola, and the Hulk himself. Still, gut shots were not her favorite. She gave a heaving cough and felt the familiar sensation of thick blood crawling down her chin. It would just take time for her insides to heal, her body was used to the stress and was trying to mend itself as quickly as possible. The gunshots continued and she got to her feet anyway. There wasn't time to wait.

"Xavier's team is almost there," said Fury. "They can help with the Hulk-"

"No!" coughed Bridgette. "They need to get everyone off the bridge. I can take care of the Hulk."

"Judging by the impressive distance you and your phone just made, I'd say you need help."

"I'm durable. I've got this."

Turning back to face the action, she noticed an abandoned and damaged car and made her way over, ripping off the wheel's hubcap. Taking another deep breath, she started to charge back into the gun fire. She used the make shift shield to her advantage and plowed into the nearest military personnel, knocking them clean off their feet and stilling their shots. Of course, she had forgotten her handy SHIELD multifunctional baton Fury had crafted for her for the Chitaurian battle. It wasn't a utensil she brought to school and she sorely wished she did, although the shield was rather useful. No wonder Captain America used it as his weapon of choice.

"Stand down!" she shouted as she knocked down another handful of men. "Stand down and back off!"

Bullets still rained down on the Hulk and herself, annoying strikes against her armor skin. The Hulk gave another roar and he brought his fists down hard against the ground. The bridge shook violently and upset a few people's balance. Bridgette spun around to face the Hulk, his anger tinted gaze having yet to find her with all of the commotion and upheaval. She couldn't blame him, it was impossible to concentrate with all of the noise going on and the unraveling thunderstorm. Throwing her pretend shield like a Frisbee she took down however many she could with it. Then she turned to face the giant and darted right up to him, daring to stand within his reach and striking distance.

"Hulk!" she shouted for him to hear. The shooting had quieted due to her last throw and some of the people were watching rather than attacking, the noticeable sound being the heavy rain. Hulk didn't hear her as he brought his fists down again where she was standing.

Except he didn't strike the ground.

Looking down in his surprise at being stopped, it allowed him to study the girl who held up her arms by her head to block his double hit. Her body was shaking from the effort of bringing the Incredible Hulk to a standstill, but she didn't waver or try to get out of the way.

"Hulk, you stop right now!" she shouted again.

He was breathing hard as he stared down at the small person who dared to stop him, the rain slick against his green skin. Who else was strong like Hulk? He didn't pull back his fists just yet as he studied her. The red was starting to ebb away from his vision and he was starting to piece together the girl's identity. He knew her. She faced the Hulk before. She always faced Hulk. Not afraid of Hulk. Liked Hulk. Banner change to Hulk to protect her.

"Bridg...ette..." he identified through his growling. Bridgette was strong like Hulk.

She gave a weak laugh and nodded.

"Yeah, big guy, it's Bridgette," she confirmed.

It took him another moment to slowly lift his fists from her, confused as to why he had tried to hit her. Hulk didn't hurt Bridgette. Other people hurt Bridgette and Hulk hurt them, but Hulk not hurt Bridgette.

There was shifting of material and his green gaze snapped to the military figures, recalling why he was angry. He took a heavy step toward them but Bridgette stayed in front of him, holding her hands up. He tried to move to the right and she mirrored him again, not letting him pass.

"Take it easy, big guy," she advised as best as she could, trying not to cough. "Just-just take a breather."

"They hurt Hulk," he informed her, pointing at them. "They hurt Banner."

"I know, I know," she agreed. "They've been stupid, I get it-"

"Hulk smash stupid!" He brought his foot down hard and again the bridge gave a dangerous tremor, the ground splitting under their feet, almost breaking entirely.

"Whoa-whoa! No smashing, not here, big guy," Bridgette said quickly. "This isn't the best place for smashing. No smashing. Please."

Metal shifted and Bridgette looked over her shoulder to see the dark figures back on their feet and pointing their guns at the two Avengers, if a bit hesitantly.

"Don't let them escape," ordered Ross from the safety of his helicopter.

"Seriously?" asked Bridgette as the other able members were able to secure a lock on the two. Glancing to the other side, she could see Xavier's X-Men making their way through the cars to make sure everyone was out and to safety. They should keep the focus on them for the moment.

"So this is what happens? You just keep wasting bullets on us?" she asked, buying time. She could hear the Hulk shift restlessly behind her and she was mindful to stay in front of him. "You ought to know it's useless and probably come to terms that your boss is a bit of a psycho too."

The helicopter remained overhead and she could see Ross due to his stark white hair, but she couldn't make out any expression with the distance.

Fury's voice came over her line again. "We have a carrier arriving to collect Ross and his men. ETA: two minutes."

"Ross, I mean, talk about obsessive," she continued. "I'm assuming you can hear me over your men's tech, right?"

One man gave a nod in response.

"Excellent. Then you can listen to me inform your men, the people who are your responsibility, that you were sending them into a suicide mission. You didn't care who got hurt as long as you could somehow put the blame on us. I mean, come on, kidnapping a teacher from a school? Scumbag move, Ross," she rambled. "I mean, you freakin' administered straight adrenaline in Dr. Banner's body. I'm seriously impressed how long he was able to hold out. It was like you were trying to hurt as many people as you could."

"One minute," said Fury.

"Of all locations, a bridge? You wanted a big dramatic scene where a lot of people could be hurt and you could use whatever force you like. Sounds like you're trying to compensate, if you ask me-"

"What are you waiting for? Fire!" came the General's order. The soldier shifted and looked to each other, no one pulling the trigger. The bridge creaked again, slowly crumbling underfoot, especially as the Hulk dared to step forward.

"Get off the bridge," instructed Bridgette, feeling the foundation under her give a sharp lurch. She was in an especially bad spot as she was so close to the Hulk, the biggest weight and center of gravity. "Get off and get as many people to safety as you can. You can still make this right even though your boss messed this up in the first place-"

There was the sound of the SHIELD carrier arriving and she smirked up at the General.

The moment of victory was exceptionally short lived as General Ross refused to go without a proper fight. A sharp whistle was heard as the helicopter was armed and serious fire power was blasted their way. The Hulk roared again and gave an amazing leap, striking the helicopter with one well aimed punch.

"Hulk-no!"

It was too late. The force from the ammunition and the Hulk launching off the bridge was too much for it to take. Their location on the bridge shattered and began to fall away. Heavy empty cars were sliding down and before Bridgette could try to get away herself, she saw that one soldier had slipped onto her side of the falling wreckage.

"Dammit!" she swore. Instead of jumping up and out, she moved alongside gravity and managed to grab the stranger by the back of his bullet proof vest. Using her enhanced strength, she used their momentum to throw him back onto the ledge of the bridge, amplifying her own falling speed with the sling-shot maneuver.

Her back collided with the water sharply, knocking the breath from her upon impact. The freezing water swamped all of her senses as she sank with the rest of the debris. Keeping her mouth firmly shut, she started to swim back up. She tried to open her eyes underwater only to be closed again with the force of the current and the added materials falling as well. Due to her lack of sight, she didn't see the forbidding shadow of the next truck falling toward the water.

The force struck her squarely and she lost a large portion of her remaining air, tinted red from her internal injuries that were still recovering. She was quickly pushed to the bottom, body squelching into the muddy base of the East River. Her right arm was the only one free as she tried to wriggle out from under the weight. It shifted with her strength, but she was at such a poor angle and position added to the shifting mud under her. Bubbles escaped as she strained to get free as the remaining rubble fell.

The Hulk landed back on the bridge and watched the helicopter crash beside him with a satisfied smirk. There. Now it couldn't try to hurt Hulk. Not that it would. Hulk was the strongest. No one beat Hulk.

Figures from a different vehicle surrounded General Ross's helicopter and Hulk started to look about for Bridgette, to show her what he accomplished. Green eyes scanned the area, seeing the bad guys that shot at him and the other guys taking them away, but no Bridgette.

"Bridgette," he heard himself call. Where was Bridgette? She was right next to Hulk. His pulse started to pick up again as he noticed the gaping hole where they were once standing, the bad guys nearby. Growling, he made his way over, the ground rumbling underfoot as he marched up to the bad guys. Still no sign of Bridgette.

"Where Bridgette?" he growled at the men, using his size to over shadow them. They didn't say anything but one pointed a shaky finger at the water. Hulk looked quickly at the ever moving water but there was no sign of the Avenger.

With another roar, the Hulk jumped down into the water. Hulk find Bridgette.

His formidable weight brought him to the bottom of the river with ease and he squinted as he started to look about. It was hard to see with the dirty water and all of the items that had fallen when the part of the bridge broke. He stomped along the floor of the river, shoving things out of his path. Cars, broken chunks of pavement, and anything that got in his way.

There was a flicker and he could see the soft movement of hair, and he wasted no time in forcing his way over. His giant hand gripped the truck and pushed it aside, the other reaching down and grabbing Bridgette too tightly. Once more, he bent his knees and gave a fantastic jump, propelling them out of the water.

It only took another moment to scale the support of the bridge and then they were topside again. Catching his breath, the Hulk looked down at the girl in his hold. She didn't move or make a sound as he studied her. Alarmed, he quickly set her down on the fractured road, face up. The rain still fell and she made no movement. She was very pale, the color washed away from her features. The Hulk's pulse picked up again as he remembered her looking the same way after he broke her out of Hydra's case. Iron Man had been just as pale after falling from the sky during the alien battle. She wasn't moving at all, her chest entirely still. No. Bridgette was not dead. Not Bridgette! Hulk not let Bridgette die!

Getting to his feet, the Hulk took a deep breath and released the best roar he could manage, directing all of the volume at the girl. The loose rubble rattled and the nearby agents covered their ears in response to the noise. It worked before and it would work again, Hulk wake up Bridgette!

There was a gasp as Bridgette's eyes flew open in complete surprise. The gasp was quickly followed by choking as she pushed herself over and onto her forearms, hacking up the water she had taken in. The Hulk watched her every movement as the coughing soon quieted and she was able to breathe properly. Shoving her wet hair away from her face, she took a seat and gave a weak grin up at the green giant. She brought her fist up and nodded at him to mimic her. He took a seat and brought his fist up as well and she bumped their fists together.

"Good job, big guy," she told him, breathless. "Good job..."

To her surprise, the Hulk pulled her up into his arms, making her yelp. She was securely in his hold with her back to his chest, her hands unable to stretch past his crossed arms as she was kept pinned.

"Good job, Bridgette," he decided. Giving a laugh, she patted his arm and accepted her fate.

"Thanks, buddy."

REVIEW! Whew, another one done! Still using my school's library, which is actually kind of nice, except for these uncomfortable chairs. So, lots of action/Hulk goodness! He's so much fun to write. For some reason, the most fun I had was picturing a pissed off Bridgette chasing down this military vehicle on a bicycle she stole from the school. I don't know, it's just hilarious to me. XD

Bridgette/Bruce/Hulk overcome another bad guy and this tale is coming to an end. Next chapter should wrap this story up, so if you have any requests I could try to fit into the next chapter or even for Bannette (random miscellaneous scenes with Dr. Banner and Bridgette, for fun) let me know!

Your thoughts would be loved as always and I hope you enjoyed!