Watching that massive green figure disappear deeper and deeper into the endless forest ahead, he finally let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
Everything had gone exactly according to plan. No interference. No surprises. No unexpected variables showing up to ruin everything.
And most importantly? The Ancient One hadn't appeared.
That was the big one. That told him everything he needed to know about where he stood, about what he could get away with.
She really, truly didn't give a damn what humans did to each other. As long as whatever crazy scheme they cooked up didn't threaten the Earth itself, she'd just sit back in her little temple and sip tea or whatever the hell she did all day.
With that certainty finally settled in his mind, he felt that last knot of tension in his chest finally loosen up.
He glanced down at his watch, checking the time.
"Two more hours," he muttered to himself.
At the Hulk's current pace—big guy was hauling ass, but he wasn't exactly subtle about it—it would take roughly two hours for him to reach the edge of this forest. And the destination? Already decided. A small border town situated right between China and Sokovia.
If the Hulk calmed down on his own along the way? Fine. Great, even.
If not?
Well, then he'd just have to force him to calm down.
And for better results—for maximum pressure and the best possible outcome—he'd deliberately chosen not to evacuate that little town.
Seven hundred people.
Seven hundred ordinary, everyday people just going about their lives.
It was enough for Bruce for some time. And at the same time, it wasn't enough to draw any attention from the outside world. With how cut off the village was.
"There's no need for me to keep trailing him anymore," he said, mostly to himself.
He glanced once more at that sea of green stretching out endlessly before his eyes. Over a hundred kilometers of dense, untouched forest. Thick enough that there was basically zero chance the Hulk would accidentally stumble into another settlement along the way.
"Aline," he called out. "Keep a close eye on him for me."
"Acknowledged," came the instant response in his ear.
With that settled, he picked up speed. His figure blurred as he surged ahead, leaving the Hulk far, far behind as he rushed toward the destination town.
Better to get there first and wait.
He can't take a risk on 700 people's lives.
....
"Sir! Sir! Sir!"
The doors to Nick Fury's office practically exploded open as Agent Coulson came rushing in, barely even bothering to knock first.
Nick looked up from whatever classified document he'd been reading, irritation flashing across his one good eye.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone already annoyed.
"The Hulk came out," Coulson said, slightly out of breath. "One hour ago."
"…What?"
For just a moment, Nick's expression completely froze.
"How the hell—?" He caught himself, forcing his voice to stay level. "Wasn't he living peacefully? We had eyes on him. He was keeping his head down, staying out of trouble."
Coulson swallowed hard.
"We don't have all the details yet, sir," he admitted. "But according to our preliminary reports from local assets… someone attempted to assassinate him. The attempt failed, obviously, and it triggered the transformation."
Slam.
Nick's fist came down hard on his desk, making everything on it jump slightly.
"Fuck," he growled. "Fuck that guy."
He didn't even need to guess who was behind this disaster. Didn't need a single shred of evidence to know exactly whose stupid plan this was.
That stupid, arrogant bastard.
"What's the Hulk's current status?" Nick demanded. "Where is he now?"
"He just crossed into China, sir. He's moving through a large forested region, but—fortunately—"
"Inform Tony Stark," Nick cut him off. "Immediately."
Coulson stopped mid-sentence, blinking.
Nick continued, his voice cold and calculated now. "Stark's the only one who can handle this situation without turning it into a full-scale international incident. His armor can get there fast, and he's got the tech to maybe contain Banner. Coordinate with the governments involved—both China and whoever else needs to know. We need to neutralize the Hulk before something truly irreversible happens."
He clenched his jaw tight, feeling that familiar frustration rising.
"It's bad enough we can't even enter that airspace without explicit permission from Beijing," he added bitterly.
"But sir," Coulson hesitated, clearly trying to find the right words. "He's currently in the middle of a forest. There's no immediate threat to civilian populations, so he might calm down on his own after some time—"
"This is not the time to argue with me, Coulson," Nick cut in sharply, his single eye boring into the agent. "Do exactly as I ordered. Now."
Coulson straightened up. "Yes, sir."
...
"…Sir, you have an urgent call incoming from S.H.I.E.L.D."
JARVIS's calm, perfectly mechanical voice echoed smoothly through Tony's workshop.
Tony Stark let out a long, weary sigh, not even looking up from the holographic display he'd been tinkering with.
"What is it now?" he muttered.
Even though Agent Coulson had actually helped him out more than once—and Tony genuinely appreciated that, he wasn't that much of an ass—it didn't mean he suddenly liked S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organization.
That ridiculous eyepatch-wearing Batman-wannabe breaking into his house in the middle of the night and somehow disabling JARVIS? Yeah, that definitely hadn't helped his opinion either.
Still, because of Coulson's previous favors, Tony couldn't just ignore the call outright. That would be rude, and despite what people thought, he did have some manners.
Sometimes.
"Fine, put him through," Tony said with a wave of his hand.
The video feed connected, fortunately, instead of the pirate, that familiar bald head appeared on the screen.
Huh. Tony's mood actually improved a tiny bit.
"Oh, hey Coulson," Tony greeted with a slight grin. "What's up?"
"Mr. Stark," Coulson replied, his tone unusually serious. "We need your help. Urgently."
"Oh?" Tony leaned back against his workbench, crossing his arms casually. "What could your great, all-powerful, super-secret spy organization possibly need from an arrogant nobody like me? I thought Fury had everything under control."
"Mr. Stark," Coulson said more firmly this time, completely ignoring the jab. "I know you have your disagreements with Director Fury. But this situation is serious. Very serious."
Tony studied the agent's face through the screen for a long moment. Coulson wasn't one to overreact or exaggerate. If he was saying it was serious…
Tony sighed again. "Alright, alright. What do you need?"
"You know about the Hulk, I assume?"
"The big green rage monster?" Tony replied casually, though his mind was already working. "Yeah, I'm familiar. He made quite the mess in Harlem some time ago. Lots of property damage, military involvement, the whole nine yards. I looked into him out of personal curiosity afterward. Dr. Bruce Banner, right? Brilliant guy, actually—seven PhDs, cutting-edge work in gamma radiation. Last I heard, he was living quietly somewhere in India, keeping his head down."
He might bearly be comparable to me, a tiny bit.
Coulson nodded grimly. "That was classified, but anyway, it's correct. However, approximately one hour ago, someone attempted to assassinate Dr. Banner. The attempt failed. And as you can imagine… the Hulk resurfaced."
Tony's lips pressed together slightly, his casual demeanor shifting just a bit.
"Let me guess," he said slowly. "You want me to go deal with him."
"Not exactly," Coulson started, then seemed to reconsider his words. "…Actually, yes. We need you to stop him. Please, Mr. Stark."
He paused, then added: "Your armor is the only thing that can reach his current location fast enough without triggering an international conflict with China. S.H.I.E.L.D. assets can't enter Chinese airspace without causing a diplomatic nightmare."
Tony's eyes gleamed faintly behind his tinted glasses.
Oh.
Perfect timing, actually.
He'd been wanting to properly test out his Mark IV suit anyway. All the simulations in the world couldn't replace real field data, and what better test than going up against the Hulk?
"Alright," Tony said, already pushing off from his workbench and standing up. "I'll do it. JARVIS?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Prepare the Mark IV for immediate deployment. We're leaving in five minutes."
"Understood, sir. Beginning startup sequence now."
Time to see what this baby could really do.
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