All rights belong to Disney/Marvel. I own nothing.
Mexico
"Where did you learn to cook?" Cassie asked as she, Kamala, and Kate dug into nachos and cokes.
The three heroines and Dr. Banner, who had managed to shift back into his human form, sat at his beach-side bar. The doctor had made a mind-boggling good pan of bean and cheese nachos and paired them with authentic glass bottle cokes. It had taken him roughly twenty minutes to prepare, giving Kamala plenty of time to briefly summarize who the three of them were and what they were doing in Mexico.
Dr. Banner had also managed to fit his own story in while he cooked. He had been hanging out in what was essentially one of Tony Stark's old vacation homes and had been there since the Blip, leaving briefly to finish the fight with Thanos and occasionally visiting his cousin in Los Angeles.
The house looked like it had been pulled from a movie, which didn't surprise any of the girls since they learned it belonged to Tony Stark.
It was a stereotypical beach house. It took the "open floor plan" to a new extreme as there were very few walls, leaving the living room and dining room almost entirely exposed to the breeze and the elements. The bamboo, driftwood, and palm leaves beach-side bar was the cherry on top of it all.
And, in typical Stark fashion, the entire basement was a fully functional lab that had every toy that someone like Bruce Banner or Tony Stark would enjoy for hours on end.
"I spent a lot of time out here during the Blip merging the Hulk and Banner identities," Dr. Banner explained, pushing his plate away. He stood inside the bar, opposite his guests. "After Thanos, I came back and made a Hulk Inhibitor," he held up his, showing off the silver cuff that connected to his hand. "It allows me to lower the gamma in my blood so that I can look normal."
"That doesn't explain why you make the best nachos I've ever eaten," Kate countered through a mouthful of chips, cheese, and beans.
"I had to learn to cook since there's not exactly a McDonald's nearby," Dr. Banner chuckled. "After I mastered PB&J, I moved on to nachos and burgers." He took a swig of coke and began cleaning his plate. "I wonder what Fury needs a team of young heroes for?"
"What do you mean?" Kamala asked.
Dr. Banner glanced up at them from his work, seeing that they all had the same question. He sighed and put the plate down, leaning against the back of the bar and crossing his arms. He had changed out of his Hulk clothing and now wore cargo shorts, an old shirt, and beat-up flip-flops.
He looked like a dad on vacation at Disneyland.
"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but there are a lot of heroes out there," he explained. "Sam, Bucky, Stephen, Wong, Thor's out there somewhere, the Guardians, Shuri is the new Black Panther, my cousin Jen is kicking butt in Los Angeles and her boyfriend is doing the same in New York. There's no shortage of bodies to pull together to deal with whatever has popped up on Nick Fury's radar."
"Maybe he thought there needed to be new blood," Cassie said, already sounding defensive.
"Maybe," Dr. Banner agreed. "Look, from my experience with Fury, there's a method to his madness. When he first assembled the Avengers, he wanted Bruce Banner to find a cube and he had a container on board in case the Hulk made an unexpected appearance. There's always a reason to what he's doing and it's always specific and tailored to the people and their powers."
Kate glanced at the others. The sincerity in the doctor's tone had been obvious and it was clear he wasn't trying to offend, but to inform the three girls that they may not be fully aware of what is being asked of them.
"He was right about the Avengers," Kamala said quietly. "The world did need you. All of you."
"He was," Dr. Banner nodded.
"Maybe the world needs us right now," Kamala continued. "That has to be enough."
"Whether it is or it isn't, we don't have much of a choice," Kate added. "We've started it and we should finish it."
"Besides, being around other heroes will be a great experience," Cassie finished. "The Avengers must have been a tight-knit group to save the world so many times."
"We were at each other's throats during a lot of our missions," Dr. Banner countered gently. "I'm sure I don't need to mention why they were at an airport in Germany."
"But you came together when the world needed you," Kamala shot back, feeling like she finally had the advantage over the doctor before adding with a smile, "Besides, I think we're a little too young to have egos."
"Fair enough," Dr. Banner said, returning the smile. "In that case, there are two people who are not on your list who you should take a look at."
"Who?" Cassie asked as the mood lightened.
"The first is Isaiah Bradley," Dr. Banner answered. "He's a veteran of the Korean War. He and a lot of others were experimented on by the government as they tried to figure out the super-soldier serum. He was the only one to survive the serum, but after serving his country, they locked him up and continued poking and prodding him."
"That's terrible," Kate muttered, her eyes wide.
"It's some pretty heavy stuff," Dr. Banner sighed. "Sam and Bucky came across him when they were dealing with a group called the Flag Smashers. He has a grandson, Elijah Bradley. I don't know the full story, but he's worth checking out."
"He might have his grandpa's genetics," Cassie said, figuring out where the doctor's logic had gone.
"It's certainly a possibility," Dr. Banner replied. "He lives with his grandfather in Baltimore."
"We'll visit him on our way to M.I.T.," Kamala promised. "Who else?"
Dr. Banner hesitated briefly. "Taking the second person into your group would count as a bit of a favor to me."
"Why do you say that?" Kamala asked curiously.
"Because he's my son, Skaar," Dr. Banner answered.
"That's….not what I expected," Kamala whispered to herself as the group followed Hulk to a cliffside that looked over the sea.
What confused the youngest member of the trio wasn't the look of the hulkling. He was as tall as an NBA power forward and just as broad and muscular as his father. Shaggy black hair framed a face that looked carved from a rock and was just as emotionless. Black, jagged tribal tattoos ran over his right shoulder, which was easily seen since he wore a sleeveless tunic and bagged pants.
What confused Kamala was what Skaar was doing. The son of Hulk was kneeling before a broadsword he had plunged into the ground in front of him, appearing to almost be praying or meditating.
"What's he doing?" Kate asked.
"Blood from a boulder," was the only response. "Skaar?"
The emotionless face came up as he took one last moment to finish his meditation before his eyes opened and he looked towards his father and the three girls behind him. He rose effortlessly to his feet and snatched the sword from the ground as easily as someone would pick a flower before walking over to them.
"Skaar, this is Kate, Kamala, and Cassie," Dr. Banner said. "They're putting together a team of heroes. I said that you would be willing to join them."
Skaar's eyes were dark and wandered over the trio before going back to Kamala, who stood just a step in front of the other two. He seemed to identify her as the lead of their makeshift crew.
"Fine," he grunted.
"Um, great!" Kamala said, trying to sound excited. "Welcome to the group, Skaar!"
"Hey, Kamala?" Cassie asked. "Wouldn't it look a little awkward if we went around M.I.T. with Skaar? It might get some unnecessary attention."
"Skaar has a Hulk inhibitor," Dr. Banner answered.
Skaar grunted and stuck his sword in the earth before activating the bracelet on his wrist. Immediately, he shrunk by at least half a foot and lost roughly a hundred-and-fifty pounds until he was the height and weight of an average man. His skin color changed from a light shade of green to white, but his hair and eyes remained the same, as did the tribal tattoos.
His clothes hung off him like rags.
"He still looks like an NFL linebacker," Cassie commented. "How old are you, Skaar?"
Skaar shrugged.
"He's roughly sixteen by Earth standards," Dr. Banner helped, "but thirty by Sakaaran."
"Which will keep creeps away," Kate said happily. "The only problem is how we're going to get him on a plane."
"No plane," Skaar grumbled.
"No plane," Kamala conceded, "but we're going to need to find a way to Baltimore."
"I have a spaceship," Skaar said simply.
"You have a spaceship?" Kate asked.
"I have a spaceship," Skaar confirmed bluntly.
"Good enough for me," Cassie said quickly, speaking for the other two. "Welcome to the team, Skaar!"
Hey y'all,
I know that there might be some bad feelings about Skaar being part of the team instead of Hulkling. I know that Hulkling (in the comics) is a Kree prince, not the actual son of Hulk. Given the MCU has (very badly) introduced Skaar, I added him into the lineup.
Please remember that this is an MCU story with as many comic-accurate pieces as I can fit in.
Have a great day and be kind,
King Beleram