In front of the eyes of everyone watching the broadcasts, Hulk's body began to shrink; his shape thinned, it became more human, until he transformed into a normal person.
Seeing that man, Tony dialed immediately.
"Banner, where are you?" he asked.
"Tony, I'm at home, I don't have any idea what's happening either," Bruce replied, his voice breaking.
"Sir, someone is erasing security footage around Dr. Bruce Banner's house. I can't retrieve the recordings," JARVIS said at that moment.
Fury, who was listening to the conversation on the line, had a bad feeling, and he was not wrong.
After everyone saw that Hulk was, as everyone assumed, Bruce Banner, the figure transformed again in fury and shattered the camera, but before doing so he smiled as if he had noticed something.
"Tony, I'm in trouble… there's bzzzt, they want bzzzzt," Bruce stammered on the line before the communication was cut.
"Banner, Banner. Damn it. JARVIS, any footage?" Tony muttered.
"None, sir. Whatever happened at his house is known only to Dr. Banner and those responsible," the system reported.
Tony suited up and flew straight to Bruce's house. He only found ruins and no trace of Banner.
---
The next day the situation was obvious to anyone with basic analytical skills, they clearly wanted to frame Banner and make him look bad, so their next move was obvious. Knowing this, the Avengers waited in the Daily Bugle building. As feared, Hulk appeared looking to destroy everything.
After a fight, although the Avengers managed to contain him and prevent casualties, Hulk slipped away through the rubble, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
The attack, in the heart of the city, fueled public anger even more than before: people demanded that they hand over Bruce. The heroes' refusal only stoked the fury, and soon the resentment that had previously been directed at Banner turned against the whole team.
---
Based on discovered information and pattern analysis, they found that the next appearance of "Hulk" would be at a distribution hub in Texas.
With no other way to confront the emerald giant, the government accepted the Skrulls' proposal and began construction of a power-nullifying device.
The structure, shaped like an antenna, was already partially erected; installation would only take a few days.
The Avengers moved to the site and waited. After a short wait, at night, they heard chaos approaching.
"Where is he?" Tony asked.
"He's heading toward the nullification device," JARVIS reported.
"Doesn't he usually go wherever his blood is? Why is he heading for the tower this time?" Tony said, confused.
"We'll find out when we catch him," Steve answered, and they ran toward the area.
Minutes later they confronted Hulk. He looked at them with fury and attacked.
They dodged with effort; Wanda tried to calm him by connecting to his mind.
"Arghhh!" Wanda cried.
"What's happening?" Pietro asked, nervous.
"Someone has manipulated his mind. It's… like a puzzle: it's fragmented," Wanda said, gasping, "I can follow it, but I need to rest a moment; I can't put him to sleep."
"Then it'll be the old-fashioned way," Tony said, preparing himself, "Attack!"
Hulk gave them no quarter. He struck the ground and sent everyone around him flying. Steve recovered first and drove his shield into Hulk's jaw; Bucky followed with a metal punch that barely made him turn his head. Hulk grabbed Bucky by the arm and threw him into a nearby car.
The sound of a car alarm broke the silence of the night as the fight went on.
Sam dove in; Clint's explosive arrows detonated nearby. Vision descended and struck him with an optic beam; the distraction allowed Pietro to unleash a flurry of fast blows. Tony focused his energy in his chest and fired a unibeam that pushed Hulk several meters back: for a moment it seemed they had him under control.
But it did not last long.
Hulk roared and unleashed his fury. With a single blow he knocked Pietro down, who had his guard down, took Steve's shield and threw it at its owner, leaving him breathless for a few seconds. Before Vision could turn intangible, Hulk grabbed him and slammed him into Sam, knocking both down. Clint tried to cover them with a special arrow so they could regroup, but Hulk intercepted it in midair and crushed it between his fingers while grinning mockingly at Clint.
Ignoring Iron Man's energy attacks entirely, he approached Tony step by step. He leapt and caught him in his enormous hands. With everyone momentarily out of commission they could only watch as Iron Man's armor creaked under the pressure.
The pressure left Tony struggling to breathe so he opened his helmet, and at that moment Hulk roared furiously into his face.
Despite everything, Tony couldn't help his usual sarcastic quips:
"Uff…can't you use mints? Put it on my tab."
Against all odds, Hulk let him go at that instant.
"Tin man… real," he growled, and released a furious roar before launching himself toward the antenna in the distance.
The Avengers followed as soon as they recovered. Wanda, barely recovered herself, levitated those who could not fly.
They did not arrive in time. A few meters from the antenna, Hulk leapt with the intention of destroying it. When he was a meter away, the antenna emitted a light and an invisible wave expanded.
Hulk's body began to return to normal: his powers dissipated slowly. The fall did not injure him, but he could not transform again; on the ground lay Bruce, human, surrounded by a special military team. They handcuffed him.
"Wait, I want to talk to him," Tony pleaded.
The military exchanged glances and, after a second, nodded.
"You have thirty seconds, and then we'll be gone," one said in a dry tone.
Tony ignored the warning and addressed Banner:
"Who are you?"
"Who… am I?" Bruce repeated, confused.
"Yes, who are you? I don't have time for games. A friend was hurt because of you; don't think a cell will keep you safe," Tony pressed, aware that time was running out.
"I… am… Bruce Banner," Bruce said and opened his eyes in surprise, "Tony!, it's me. How did I get here?"
"Banner? The real one?" Tony asked, surprised; he had systems capable of detecting lies.
"How did you get here? What happened?" Tony insisted.
"I don't know how I got here," Bruce stammered.
"Ten seconds," the soldier intervened without flinching.
"There's no time," Bruce added urgently, "Tony, I'm not the only one, they're replacing us. The antenna not only nullifies powers; you must not let them build it."
"Wait, I don't understand," Tony said, "Explain."
"Time's up, I'm taking him," cut the officer holding him.
"I want to talk to him," Tony repeated, pointing at the soldiers with his hand, a clear threat.
The military did not yield. They made a gesture at a distance; the antenna sent another wave and everyone present felt their powers deactivate: from Steve's serum to Tony's armor. Vision was the most affected; he fell unconscious.
"You think the antenna only removes powers?" the soldier sneered, "It's designed for all kinds of abilities."
With no option, they took Banner away.
"Tony, trust no one. Destroy the antenna" Banner shouted before one of the soldiers knocked him out to prevent further resistance.
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80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)