Revamped!
[To the lovely Guest who told me that the crew reminds them of the 6teen group, thank you for one of the best compliments ever because 6teen is one of my favourite cartoons (I still watch it till this day). Some chapters from Emily's story are based on some episodes]. [2020: That was one of my favourite reviews].
Chapter 53: Symbiosis Part Six
Luxor, Egypt - 4:43 AM
Daniel's Hulk throws the car in Emily's direction. Emily's eyes widen in pure fear as she lunges forwards, throwing herself on the ground. She covers her head with her arms, keeping her face against the ground as she prepares for an explosion. To her surprise, she feels something soar over her from behind. Based on her prior knowledge of physics, a car being thrown from one way wouldn't somehow come from the other way unless it was being thrown back. She could look at what happened but she's too scared to.
Emily takes a small peek with one eye. She looks up and sees the back of the Hulk holding the car that was thrown. Emily's eyebrow wrinkles a bit in confusion since no physics theory could explain that to her. Then, the Hulk turns around and looks down at her. That's when she sees that it's not Daniel's Hulk in front of her but Bruce Banner's, Daniel's father.
From further out, Daniel's Hulk roars at the sight of Bruce's. Bruce's grunts as it grips the car back and lunges forwards. It grabs Daniel's face and throws it into a nearby truck.
Emily quickly gets up and turns around to run, but gets caught in someone grip on her shoulders. She screams a little but sees that it's only Daniel's mom, Betty.
-o-
SHIELD Recovery Room - 19:32 PM
Luckily for the team, Agent Tapper seemed to have bought their somewhat make-believe story. They walk to Daniel's recovery room to check up on him, all wondering what is happening in Egypt since they know that Daniel's Hulk is there. However, they all can't verbally discuss it since there are cameras and they don't know if the Council has any of the passing doctors or nurses listening in on them.
They walk into Daniel's recovery room and still see him unconscious with stable vitals. They notice Emily's absence but don't question it since they assume she stepped out for a bathroom break or something. She'd never leave him. Besides, it's not like they could ask Daniel.
Angela grabs her tablet and winks at her friends. One of them closes the door and the others all congregate in a circle to cover what they'll see on the tablet. Angela opens up the video of Egypt in which the Council gratefully gave them access to. They see Daniel's Hulk accompanied by Bruce's with Emily and Betty in the background.
"Well, shit," Merida says. If they can see this then Agent Tapper has as well and now they've just been busted for lying on oath.
"Maybe Bruce can fix this," Xavier says.
They continue watching the video.
Bruce's Hulk sends a grand punch into Daniel's, sending him flying into a nearby building. As Bruce's Hulk stands there, waiting for a response, nothing comes.
"At least that problem is dealt with," James says. "Now, what are we going to do with an unconscious Hulk?"
Before anyone could answer, Daniel's heart rate monitor starts flatlining.
-o-
Luxor, Egypt - 4:59 AM
"Betty, I have no clue how to explain what happened," Emily says to her rushed. "That's not Daniel in there. There's no Daniel in there because he's unconscious at a SHIELD Recovery Centre. It was some experiment that someone else made and it resulted in Daniel and his Hulk separating."
Betty nods. "Bruce and I will have to look over the specifics later. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any way to separate two symbiotic organisms biologically without harming either of them."
Emily shrugs since she couldn't understand it either.
"Where's Daniel again?" Betty asks.
"SHIELD Recovery Room," Emily responds. "He fell unconscious after the separation. I think it was because he saw his Hulk in front of him."
-o-
SHIELD Recovery Room - 19:33 PM
"Shock!" Angela exclaims over the alarm of the heart monitor. "Someone get a defibrillator!"
The human brain can survive about seven minutes without oxygen. It's been only a minute and everyone is rushing for time.
James grabs the defibrillator and charges it as Merida tears open Daniel's hospital gown to reveal his bare chest. James warms up the clamps by rubbing them together.
"Clear!" James exclaims.
He administers the shock clamps on Daniel's chest. As they wait for a response from Daniel's body, James starts recharging the defibrillator for a round two if needed, hopefully it wouldn't be. If it doesn't work again, James would use his bioelectricity.
Everyone jumps a little at the sound of a roar. They all look and see that it's coming from the Hulk live stream in Egypt. Xavier goes to see what's happening.
Daniel's Hulk rises from the smoke and faces Bruce's Hulk. Instead of fighting back, Daniel's Hulk flees. Bruce's doesn't chase after it. He turns back to face Emily and Betty before shrinking back into Bruce.
"My head hurts…" Daniel mutters as his heart rate comes back to life.
Everyone else in the recovery room alternates their view from the video and Daniel. He and his Hulk came back into the world at the same time. That can't be a coincidence.
-o-
Daniel is now wide awake, aware that Emily and his parents are back from Egypt although he didn't know they left. He isn't sure who's talking or if they're alternating, but he doesn't care. His Hulk is out of his body and he should be thrilled since his worst fear is gone but he feels like crap. Absolute crap. His friends are still talking while his parents are with the Council and he tries to force himself to listen but the words about his Hulk's actions and what happened are all just a constant buzz for him since he doesn't like what they're saying. All he understands are one of the last statements.
"Cardiac arrest?" Daniel repeats. It takes him a while to process that his heart stopped. "What the hell? I don't understand how that could've happened."
"I'm pretty sure we've been saying 'we don't understand' all day," James says.
"You're being no help now," Angela tells James although he already knows that.
"You're a crack baby!" Merida randomly exclaims.
Everyone gives her a weird look for that odd statement, needing an explanation for what that is supposed to mean.
"A crack baby," Merida repeats which does nothing to her friends' comprehension. "Mothers who are drug addicts during their pregnancies will give birth to addict - or crack babies. The thing is, nobody gives the newborns the drugs they need and since their bodies are dependent on it, they will endlessly wail for it as it goes through withdrawal. Come on, I can't be the only one who's watched those videos online."
"I worry about you," Xavier says meaningfully.
"But she scarily makes sense," Angela says. "Think about it, Daniel's body is somehow unable to function without his Hulk just as his Hulk is unable to function without him."
"I hate all this," Daniel mumbles bitterly. Hearing those words makes him queasy.
"How about genetic engineering?" James suggests to Daniel. "We could modify your chromosomes to adapt to living without your Hulk."
Daniel groans. "That takes forever."
"Well, do you have any ideas?"
"Making a cure isn't like making ramen noodles!" Daniel suddenly screams which spikes his heart rate. He takes a breath to calm down. "Okay? This is complicated! God, this only solution I have is that if I die, the Hulk dies too."
Emily holds up a hand to slap him but stops herself by making her hand into a fist and lowering it. "I swear if we were married and you said those words them we'd be getting a divorce. I'm not becoming a widow!"
Daniel huffs at her. "You're being irrational!"
"You're the one who just suggested a suicide plan! You can't just wrap your head around not living. You can't believe that you're not going to be alive."
"I have a powerful brain."
"I will kick you in your oh-so-powerful brain. Don't talk to me unless you have a real plan!"
Emily storms out of the recovery room. Daniel just looks up and slumps into his bedsheets. He looks at the others who are giving him the same "your suicide plan is garbage and we're not going to let that happen" look as Emily just without the anger and the yelling which he appreciates. He doesn't even have to think to know that his parents would have the same face if he said those words to him.
"Do any of you have a plan?" Daniel asks the rest of them.
Sadly, nobody does.
