Quoting DB Sommer <sommert@connecttime.net>:

Prologue

Two months ago:

The man who had dubbed himself Kang the Conqueror strode the halls of 
the White House with an air of belonging. While others might have been 
impressed with the structure that played home to the most powerful man 
in the most powerful country in the world, it meant little to one who 
had traveled the ages of time. Besides, thanks to Kang�s machinations, 
he actually was not as out of place as a time-traveler might be, in a 
fashion.

Someone passed Kang in the hallway and greeted him. �Hello, Senator.�

Kang grunted as he tucked the folder he had brought with him under his 
arm. He barely registered the man as some faceless lawyer lobbyist. But 
the lobbyist�s recognition of Kang�s outward appearance meant his 
holographic projector was working. As far as the world was concerned, 
Senator Victor Timely from Wisconsin was walking past instead of the 
supreme ruler of Time itself.

While there had been a real Senator Timely, 

Let me guess.  He campaigned on "Now's the time, and Timely's the man!"


Kang had him quietly killed 

and his remains disintegrated, subsequently replacing him with a robotic 
duplicate. 

Delete "subsequently".  


The man had been a reclusive bachelor with no family, so 

having the robot behave as though he were the real thing, using the same 
itinerary the senator had and mirroring every official decision the 
original had made meant no one picked up on any discrepancies between 
the two. Besides, the public tended to see politicians as caricatures 
rather than real people anyway, and people tended to see what they 
wanted to.

However, there were times when important matters, like now, that Kang 
needed to change things to his liking. To ensure success and make onsite 

on-site

decisions should the need arise, Kang took personal charge of the 
situation with a holographic projector and voice scrambler. Some things 
could not be left to chance.

Kang finally arrived at his destination: the Oval Office. The secretary 
greeted him in a far more sincere manner than the lobbyist had, 
informing him the president was eager to see him. Kang thanked the woman 
and was ushered into the office.

He entered, seeing the familiar face of the president standing next to 
his desk. The only other occupant in the room was a man sitting on a 
couch, someone Kang wasn�t familiar with. He was a handsome sort with 
blond hair and ice blue eyes. Even seated, Kang could tell he was a 
tall, and under his expensive suit was an impressive physique, 

Well it can't be Jadeite, then.  

something 

uncommon in the rather flabby, donut-permeated political circles of 
Washington D.C.. There was an air about the stranger that spoke of 
someone used to wielding power and giving orders rather than the usual 
type that curried favor from the president.

Kang had no more time to ponder the newcomer as the president greeted 
him. �Hello, Victor, wonderful to see you, as always.�

The president moved forward. Kang met him halfway, returning the 
greeting with a handshake. �It�s always an honor and a pleasure, Sir.�

�I don�t think you�ve had the honor of meeting my new personal aide, 
Jonathon Smith.� The president indicated the man sitting at the couch.

�I prefer John.� The man remained seated, nodding his head in the 
senator�s direction. �A pleasure, Sir.�

Now the man�s presence made sense. Kang returned his attention to the 
president, �I was sorry to hear about Alex.� Alex Jacoby had been the 
original personal aide to the president, dying only last week from a 
sudden heart attack. It had taken everyone by surprise, since he had 
seemed to be in perfect health.

�It was a tragedy, but we move on. John�s quietly been at my side since 
the beginning, though. 

I'm guessing the President only thinks that's the case. 

He was the obvious choice of successor.�

Kang decided to cut through the casual conversation. Even a master of 
time could grow anxious. �Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.�

�Anything for the one of the men who helped save the election,� the 
president said.

Kang wondered if the man had any idea of what an understatement it was. 
Kang *was* the man responsible for the president being elected, which 
had been the original reason to doing away with the Senator Timely. It 
was all an attempt at changing �The Tragedy�. In Kang�s timeline, the 
American government had been indirectly responsible for the events that 
led up to it (as opposed to the Avengers, who were directly 
responsible), and there was a chance changing things in the U.S. might 
prevent the incident without making it so Kang never met her. It was 
ironic that killing the head of Kunou Industries before his children 
were born (and preventing the creation of the Iron Rose armor) 

Er...killing Kodachi's father sparked the creation of the Iron Rose armour,
didn't it?  

changed 

everything so horribly he and his love would never meet (and prevent him 
from meeting her even as Kang in this timeline), but changing the 
leadership of the most powerful country on the planet had less of an 
effect on the event. Of course, the circumstances around Kang and his 
love had been somewhat insulated, and outside influences were limited, 
but it was such a fine line to tread it was frightening.

It had been a simple enough matter to shift the election in the favor of 
the current president. The election had been decided by such a small 
percentage that all it took was gaining a few thousand votes in one 
state to shift it. With a man of Senator Timely�s influence whispering 
in a candidate�s ear about concentrating more attention on the state, 
the man had gained the necessary votes to win. There was one curious 
thing, though. By Kang�s estimation, with the additional campaigning the 
president had done, he should only have won by five thousand votes. 
Instead he had won a clear cut margin of twenty-thousand. Kang didn�t 
like his estimations being off. The stakes were too high to allow 
mistakes of any kind.

However, Kang�s fervent hope in doing an end run around The Tragedy had 
the exact opposite effect, and only served to reinforce the timeline. He 
wasn�t certain of why that should be, his knowledge of time was not yet 
so vast that he could anticipate the tertiary results of his changes, 
but it had happened. But what had at first appeared to be a loss ended 
up netting him a positive gain, one that could make the difference in 
the elimination of the direct threat posed by the Avengers. Now Kang was 
Senator Timely, the man the president was beholden to. He had influence 
and power, and meant to use it, which was why he was in the Oval Office 
today.

The president�s comment had caught Jonathon�s attention. �He�s the one 
that tipped us off about the need for additional campaigning?�

The president nodded amicably. �Yep.�

The aide turned to Kang. �You have good instincts. I doubt I would have 
been able to conjure up the necessary number of votes if we had started 
even a week later.�

The president cleared his throat.

�It was an excellent bit of campaigning,� Jonathon clarified.

The president turned his attention to Kang once again. �Now, what did 
you need to see me about?�

At last. It was time to set the wheels of his latest plan into motion. 
�You read the file I sent you on the matter regarding the Hulk?�

The president turned less jovial. �Yes, terrible business, that. I�m 
outraged over the misuse of government funds over the whole Gamma Bomb 
program. The last thing the world needs is another kind of bomb. I�m 
thinking of having an inquiry on the matter.�

Jonathon straightened up a bit. �That would be a bad idea, Sir. It was 
green-lighted by your predecessor, when you were vice-president. It 
would look bad for you to say things like this slipped by under your 
nose. Besides, it was Shaw Industries that won the contract for it, and 
he�s also one of those enlightened about your potential as president and 
contributed heavily to you.�

The president considered that. �Of course, an inquiry would be pointless 
now. The program was discontinued anyway. It�s probably best to let the 
matter lie.�

�And you read my recommendation?� Kang prodded. �The gamma readings on 
site match the ones taken by SHIELD. They clearly indicate this 
rampaging behemoth called the Hulk is clearly that muted pig. That means 

Mutated

we�re responsible for its creation.�

�Yes,� the president said dubiously. �Well, I think you might be 
overstating the dangers a bit. The formation of a hunt team to destroy 
him sounds like sending good money after bad, especially since I�m 
planning on trimming the military�s bloated budget. 

Amusingly, Bush also intended to trim the military's budget when he took
office.  Best laid plans.  

Your suggestion 

would be counterproductive. Besides, he�s spending his time in Japan. 
He�s hardly our problem.�

�Perhaps you should see this latest file from SHIELD, Sir.� Kang handed 
the president the folder he had been carrying.

The president leafed through the folder, his eyes poring over the 
contents. Slowly his face took on a horrified expression.

Kang took it he had finally read the �good part� of the documents. �As 
you can see, Sir, the Hulk completely destroyed that large hill and 
razed the surrounding terrain.�

The president paled. �My god, the damage to the environment, it�s like 
ground zero of an extinction level event. It�ll take hundreds of years 

extinction-level

for that forest to grow back, and that hill will never return.�

At that point Jonathon stood up and held a hand out, silently seeking 
the documents. The president handed them to him absent-mindedly, his 
eyes distant.

Kang moved things along. �It took him less than half an hour to do all 
of that damage. It�s estimated he could annihilate an area the size of 
Yellowstone Park in less than forty eight hours.�

Jonathon peered closely at one of the photos. �Weird, I�d swear that 
hill has eyes and a mouth.�

The president scoffed. �Those are two odd rock formations and a cave, 
though I will agree they might every well be that poor hill�s eyes and 
mouth in a metaphorical sense.� He pondered the matter for another few 
seconds before deciding. �Gentlemen, it is clear to me that this monster 
represents a clear and present danger to the world�s environment, and 
must be dealt with quickly and severely.�

Of course the Hulkbusters could have in theory had a lot of other applications
once created.  

Jonathon added, �Worse, if this creature does cause some disaster, and 
its origins are traced back to us, it would be incredibly damaging to 
our reputation. And the press is always trying to dig up the next big 
scandal. I have no desire for this administration to be in the next one.�

�It�s a miracle something worse than this hasn�t happened already,� the 
president concluded. �Victor, you�ll get a green light on this 
�Hulkbusters� unit you�re clamoring for.

�Thank you, Sir.� It was nice to see hard work pay off, Kang thought to 
himself. Banner and Ross were sure to have something that could 
eradicate the Hulk. �There is a minor problem, though. We�ll need 
permission to operate on Japanese soil.�

The president considered that. �We�ll need to give them something in 
return, especially since I have no desire to explain how we created this 
monster.�

�How about that worldwide ban on whaling you�ve been trying to push 
through in the U.N.?� Jonathon suggested. �They�ve been complaining 
about that for a while now. If we agree to bury it, that might be the 
favor we need.�

The president nodded. �Yes, that might work. And after the Hulk matter 
is taken care of, we�ll bring it up again at a later time. Good plan. I 
actually have a close friend high up in the Diet, too. She can probably 
help grease the wheels as well, since she�s of a like mind when it comes 
to environmental dangers like this creature. We�ll have Gyrich as the 
liaison. He�s been to Japan before, and he has the right sort of 
enthusiasm when it comes to situations with powered beings.�

�Thank you, Sir. I�ll get right on this.� Kang started to head for the 
door when the intercom buzzed.

The secretary�s voice said, �Mr. President, the Steve Rogers meeting is 
coming up. You told me to remind you.�

The president hit the reply button. �Thank you, Jules.�

That had caught Kang�s attention. Steve Rogers was an elderly gentleman 
that had been in the public�s eye since shortly after the end of World 
War II. Despite his sickly nature, he had become one of the most 
outstanding orators of his time. He was extremely outspoken about the 
state of the country, the military, and a thousand other topics. It was 
his sincerity that won people over, and even his most vehement critics 
never cast aspersions on his integrity. It would be the equivalent of 
accusing the Pope of being an atheist.

The only negative point in Roger�s career was his son, Steven Rogers the 
Second, 

So I assume that Jonathon Smith is Steve Junior?  

though becoming the one-time head of the racist Sons of the 

Serpent was a black mark indeed. Although even that was starting to be 
forgotten as his grandson, Steven Rogers the Third, was coming of age. 
Not only had the young man inherited his grandfather�s character, but he 
had sculpted his body so perfectly that he had won a dozen Olympic gold 
medals, and possessed looks that had crowned him one of the most 
eligible bachelors in America.

�He has a meeting with you?� Kang asked.

�Sort of the reverse, actually. I�m having him come by. There�s a nasty 
rumor he�s considering running for office in the next election.�

That would be cause for concern. People had been trying to get Rogers to 
run as a third party candidate for decades, but he had always balked. 
�What�s caused the change in attitude?�

The president and Jonathon exchanged a meaningful look. �Let�s just say 
his ideas of what constitutes freedom are antiquated. He�s the sort 
that�s mired in the past, and would have this country turn back into the 
fifties. Hardly the �Golden Age� of America.�

�He also has an unhealthy obsession with the military,� Jonathon added. 
�Probably because he was 4-F�d when he tried to volunteer. It�s sad, 
really, slavishly seeking approval from an organization that rejected 
him, even if it means ruining everything else in the process. It�s like 
watching a Shakespearean tragedy in action. And he�s so old, he could 
keel over at any time.�

�Indeed,� the president seconded. �It�s time for this nation to move 
forward. Rogers is a relic of a bygone era that was appropriately 
abandoned. Still, he�s the kind whose talk appeals to a certain segment 
of the population, and he might split the vote. The fate of this nation 
relies upon my winning, and we can�t take a chance on Rogers muddying 
things up and letting someone else win. So I�m going to meet with him 
and reassure him that we share a good bit of common ground. I�m thinking 
of increasing veterans benefits. That might do it.�

�I thought you were talking about slashing the military budget,� Kang 
mentioned.

Jonathon said, �We�ll just cut an additional one hundred million and 
then give it back as an increase in the benefits program.�

�Just because we�re slashing the military budget doesn�t mean we don�t 
care about our soldiers. We�re just making them more efficient. Cutting 
the fat, so to speak,� the president confirmed.

�Good luck, Sir.� Privately Kang doubted it would work. Rogers was 
shrewd despite his age, but it mattered little. The time of The Tragedy 
would occur before the next election, and would be averted by then. 
After that, plans could be made regarding other things. For now, all of 
Kang�s resources were committed to changing that one event.

The Hulkbusters would succeed. They would kill the Hulk and then 
everything would be right with the world. A couple of months and it 
would all be over.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Avenging
Act II
Chapter 3
Guess What�s For Dinner

Any and all C+C appreciated. You can contact me at:
[sommert@connecttime.net]

All the previous chapters and my other works are stored at:

Larry F's new address at:
http://www.rakhal.com/florestica/d_b_sommer/index.html

And also Angcobra is now storing fics, at
http://www.hostultra.com/~AngCobraFics/dbsommer.html

At fanfiction.net:
http://www.fanfiction.net/

And newer works at Mediaminer
www.mediminer.org

Standard disclaimer: I don�t any of the Marvel characters or other 
characters from the numerous animes which are within.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the dead of night as Kaori Makimura stared up at the cloudy 
skies, watching in anticipation as the helicopter with U.S. military 
markings landed on the abandoned school field in front of her. She 
waited anxiously as the helicopter touched down, and disgorged three 
passengers from its interior, ones that reeked of �government agent�. 
The first two wore identical black suits and sunglasses, despite the 
fact it was ten o�clock at night. Each had an earpiece and wire leading 
to something inside the pockets of their suit jackets.

The third occupant�s dark suit differed from the others, and his 
sunglasses had a greenish tint to them, evident even in the darkness. He 
held an air of authority as he approached Kaori with a purposeful 
stride. Eventually he stood before her.

�Uncle Peter!� Kaori cried out, and hugged the man.

�It�s nice to see you, Kaori-chan,� Henry Peter Gyrich said in lightly 
accented Japanese. �My, you�ve grown up. Let me look at you.� He held 
her out at arm�s length, staring at her a moment as a look of 
consternation crossed his features. It disappeared almost as quickly as 
it had arrived. �Kaori, I want you to know that you�ll always be my 
goddaughter, no matter what your sexual orientation is.�

A fist met his face. �I am not a lesbian!�

The two men standing guard a discreet distance behind Gyrich turned to 
one another. The first one said, �Told you so.� The second one handed 
him several bills of money in response.

Kaori took a closer look at the men and realized they were identical 
twins. That put her on edge. She had bad luck with twins. �And who are 
you two gentleman?�

As one they twisted their necks, causing a cracking sound. �Our name is 
Mr. Smith, Miss Anderson.�

�My name isn�t Anderson,� Kaori said, bewildered.

Through gritted teeth Gyrich spat out, �Their name is Jamie Madrox. All 
of them are, including the pilot. He�s a mutant that likes making bad 
Matrix jokes and can create an exact duplicate of himself with a kinetic 
impact.�

Jamie One said, �You da� man,� to his partner.

Jamie Two said, �No, you da� man.�

The two high-fived one another. A third one suddenly appeared between 
them. He said, �I�m da� man.�

�Wow,� was all Kaori could manage.

Gyrich continued. �He literally does the work of a hundred men.�

�Yeah, but I only get paid like one,� Jamie Two grumbled.

Jamie One walked up to Kaori. �Since you�re not lesbian, like I said 
from the start,� he shot a glare toward Jamie Two. �How about we go out 
dancing later? I can do a mean conga line.�

�You will date my goddaughter over my dead body,� Gyrich said in a tone 
that could chill ice. He returned his attention to Kaori. �All of the 
equipment was sent ahead of me and should be enroute to the rendezvous 
point. There isn�t all that much. We only have one specialized squad for 
the actual field operation, some support personnel for the equipment, 
and a platoon of normal grunts to help with any manual tasks. How about 
things on your end?�

Kaori began leading him to a large structure next to field. �This whole 
school will be our base of operations. Space has been made in that gym 
over there. I�m actually just a liaison for the local police, though. 
I�m to keep our people out of the way of your people and the ministry�s.�

�Ministry?�

Kaori tensed up. �Yes, the overseers on our side aren�t JSDF, like it 
was supposed to be. At the last minute they got pulled off and some 
outfit connected with the Ministry of Health and Welfare stepped in and 
took over everything.�

�What the hell is the Ministry of Health and Welfare and how does it 
relate to a situation like the Hulk�s?�

Kaori spoke in a low voice, �I didn�t even know it existed until it was 
announced they were taking control of the situation. What I do know is 
they stink. They have some sort of pseudo-military unit called �Hound�, 
and believe me, they�re good. They also operate real well together, like 
they�ve been under fire. Their boss is a creep named Irie Soyozoh. He�s 
always smiling. He�d probably have the same smile on while sinking a 
knife in your back, and he�s always got a half-dozen mean-looking 
bodyguards nearby at all times. Hulking brutes that could probably blow 
away little kids without blinking.�

�I see,� Gyrich said. �Smells like your government is up to something, 
too. But the job takes priority. Capture of the Hulk is our concern, not 
whatever it is your government wants out of the situation. Still, we�ll 
keep our eyes open, just in case.�

Kaori nodded in exasperation, opting to follow her more experienced 
godfather�s lead. Also she tried eradicating the horrifying thought of 
the Saeba twins being able to replicate themselves like Madrox could. 
One Saeba was bad enough; two pushed her to the edge. One more and she�d 
lose it completely.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

It was an hour later when all of the Hulkbusters and their equipment 
arrived. Kaori watched as the men and materials were offloaded from the 
military trucks that had arrived from the nearby American base. As the 
material was set up, the heads of the American part of the operation met 
with their liaisons and Irie. Unlike Gyrich and Madrox, none of them 
could speak Japanese, so Kaori and the men with the ministry spoke 
English for their benefit.

The four top Americans walked up and formerly introduced themselves.

�I�m General Thaddeus Ross.� The white-haired man with the lit cigar in 
his mouth spoke with an aura of command that could only have been gained 
from decades of being in authority. He introduced the other three men 
with him. �This is the leader of the attack squad, Major Glenn Talbot.� 
A man in his late twenties with brown hair and thin mustache bowed 

formally. �This is the leader of the platoon that will help locate the 
Hulk on the ground, Sergeant John Walker.� A large, blond-haired, 
blue-eyed man gave a cursory bow. �And this man in the civilian clothing 
is Dr. Banner. He�s our resident expert on gamma rays and designed the 
portable tracking units we�ll be using to locate the Hulk.�

Kaori and Gyrich introduced themselves in turn. Once they were finished, 
Irie came to the forefront, smiling the entire time. �It�s an honor to 
meet you, General Ross. I have heard much about you. While I have no 
doubt of your command abilities, I�m obligated to remind you that I�m in 
charge of the operation, since it�s taking place on our country�s soil, 
and my government would like to keep things quiet regarding this matter. 
But don�t worry, I�ll stay out of the way and leave this to the 
professionals. I know my limits, so have no fears on that regard.�

Ross seemed taken off-guard. �Thanks. You�re a refreshing man. In my 
government, cutting through bureaucratic nonsense means only having to 
wait five months instead of eight to get a paper clip for your base.�

�You are our guest, and this Hulk matter is of serious concern to us,� 
Irie assured him. �Of course, we want it low profile as well. We 
wouldn�t want a major battle on Japanese soil. The Hulk has been in the 
center of several of those already.�

Banner spoke up. �I think I can resolve the matter quietly, Sir.�

�Shut up, Banner!� Ross snapped.

�Oh? I�m eager to hear what our resident expert has to say on the 
matter,� Irie said. �Please, speak. I�m listening.�

Banner began. �I have a portable device that I�m convinced can destroy 
the Hulk without any real risk to our men or the public. It�s a portable 
Gamma Imploder I designed. In layman�s terms, it�ll bathe the Hulk in 
additional gamma rays, causing his cells to super-saturate and basically 
implode.�

�It�s untested and even you admitted it might not work,� Ross snarled.

�But I�m convinced it will,� Banner insisted.

�I�m not putting my men at risk with your crackpot scheme,� Ross said.

Talbot interrupted. �Sir, we can resolve the matter using standard 
military tactics. The Mandroid Armor Stark built for us will be more 
than sufficient to destroy the Hulk, and given its tactical nature, will 
cause only very limited collateral damage.�

Ross smiled satisfactorily at Talbot�s suggestion.

Kaori watched the interplay between the three men. Ross seemed like a 
doting father over Talbot, while Talbot seemed to take great personal 
satisfaction in arguing with Banner, even going so far as to shoot the 
wan scientist a triumphant glare. Banner seemed cowed and said nothing 
further.

Irie spoke up. �I think we�ll go with standard tactics, like the 
operation calls for. I do appreciate your input, Dr. Banner. If you come 
up with any other ideas, feel free to mention them. I�ll keep an open mind.�

�Thank you, Sir.� Banner looked like a puppy that had just been kicked 
by its owner.

It was at that moment that a technician at a recently set up computer 
shouted, �Sir, we have a gamma contact!� All eyes turned to him.

�Already?� Ross asked. �I knew Hulk had popped up in Nerima several 
times, but I didn�t think he�d show himself so soon. From what direction 
did he enter the area?�

The technician said, �Well, that�s the funny thing, Sir. He appeared in 
the middle of the area, like he suddenly winked into existence. I don�t 
have any explanation, Sir.�

Ross turned to Banner. �Make sure that equipment is functioning right. 
Talbot, get those Mandroids off-loaded and suit up. We might be able to 
end this tonight and be on our way home with the Hulk in tow by morning.�

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

�Where is Hulk?� the Hulk bellowed.

It had not been a good week for him. After destroying Spragg, the Living 
Hill, he had wandered the countryside, trying to figure out how to meet 
his friends, the Avengers. During the third day of his musings, he had 
been attacked by robots. He had proceeded to smash them into pieces when 
a grey armored figure with a green cloak and hood flew in and destroyed 
the remaining ones. The newcomer introduced himself as Dr. Doom, and 
said he wanted the Hulk�s help in overthrowing a power-mad robot that 
was bent on world domination. The Hulk had felt inclined to help, since 
everyone knew robots were bad. Every single one the Hulk had ever met 
had attacked him for no reason. There was also the fact that doctors 
were good, like Dr. Strange. Also, Doom had said he would teleport the 
Hulk to his friends afterwards. So the Hulk had agreed and allowed Dr. 
Doom to teleport him to some castle in the middle of the countryside. It 
was there that the evil robot named �Chi� lay, and the Hulk was to 
destroy it and save humanity.

However, after smashing his way through the castle�s defenses, the Hulk 
discovered Chi was not a robot at all, but a pretty girl (though not as 
pretty as the Hammer Girl). When the tiny girl on Chi�s shoulder asked 
the Hulk what he was doing there, and he explained he was there to 
destroy the evil robot, Chi, the pretty girl began crying. She said Dr. 
Doom was a bad person that wanted to do bad things to Chi, who was a 
poor helpless girl that was trying to help the world.

That was enough for the Hulk. He went back outside, intent on destroying 
Dr. Doom�s armor. Doom tried to trick him again by claiming Chi was the 
bad person, but the Hulk knew better. Bad guys were never cute little 
girls who cried when you threatened them.

Before the Hulk could beat Dr. Doom up, he was teleported away. That had 
brought him to his current state, standing in a back alley that didn�t 
smell good.

The Hulk looked down and saw an old newspaper. He recognized the 
writing, if not the words it formed. That meant he was back in Japan. Home.

While a part of the Hulk wanted to find the Avengers, it had been a long 
day, and he was tired and hungry. He decided to sit down, and rest 
against a wall for a while, promising to shut his eyes only for a 
moment. Within seconds he was sleeping. And because he was sleeping, he 
missed the large figure that was concealed in the shadows nearby.

The one that moved toward him.

Xxxxxxxxxx

�We lost the signal, Sir,� Banner informed the men clustered around the 
screen.

�Damn! The boys were almost ready to go out, too,� Ross grumbled.

�It could have been a glitch,� Banner reluctantly admitted. �That would 
explain why the initial reading spontaneously appeared in the first place.�

�Probably, but we�ll double check. Sergeant Walker!�

Walker approached and saluted. �Sir.�

�Take a portable tracking device and check things out firsthand. If you 
spot the target, whatever you do, don�t try to take him on. Just alert 
us. I don�t want any dead would-be heroes.�

�You can count on me, Sir.�

Irie said, �You�ll need a guide that can speak the language. Corporal 
Narusawa.� Irie didn�t yell, but his voice carried just as far as Ross� 
bellows. An attractive woman, about the same age as Walker, appeared. 
�Escort Sergeant Walker to the area the reading was taken and do a 
visual inspection of the scene. Report anything odd immediately.�

It was at that moment something came together for Kaori. �That�s the 
area where all those people have gone missing.�

All eyes turned to her. �What�s that?� Gyrich asked.

Kaori explained, �We�ve recently become aware of a number of 
disappearances in the area. Mostly homeless people.�

�The homeless population in Japan is so insignificant as to be almost 
non-existent,� Irie said in an almost teasing way.

Irie quoted, with a hint of mockery.

(I think you need to make it clearer that Irie isn't really claiming 
that.)

�It�s going from �almost� to just plain �non-existent�. There are some 
other people that have gone missing, too. Now that we�ve been 
investigating, it seems a lot of people aren�t where they used to be 
anymore in the lower income sections of this area.�

�Maybe the Hulk has something to do with it,� Ross suggested.

�We�ll be doubly aware then,� Irie said. �Corporal, be advised as you go 
out.�

�Sir.� Narusawa saluted just as crisply as Walker had. �This way,� she 
said to the American she escorted. He followed close behind.

Within minutes the pair rode a motorcycle to the scene, leaving all of 
their weapons, save a concealed pistol for each, behind. Walker seemed 
uncomfortable on the vehicle, and that he was being driven by a girl. He 
was relieved when they arrived in the area the signal had originated. 
They parked the motorcycle, and Walker removed the portable tracking 
device and set it up. While not having anywhere near the range of the 
master unit at the temporary headquarters, it could detect gamma ray 
levels within a thirty meter radius. He ran a check on it, radioed back 
to headquarters, then led the way down the alley.

�So your name is Johnny Walker?� Narusawa said in surprisingly good English.

�Yeah,� Walker said idly.

�Red?�

�I ain�t no commie!� Walker shouted.

�Was just joke,� Narusawa assured him.

�I know. I just hear it all the time,� Walker said.

�You seem tense,� Narusawa mentioned.

�I ain�t used to working with girls.�

�I am not used to working with Americans,� Narusawa countered.

�I don�t mean anything by it, it�s just my Ma and Pa were real 
traditional. Guys earned the money and women kept home and made babies. 
They didn�t go around in combat boots and rifles.�

�Ah, you would fit in well with Japan. That is �traditional� here as 
well.� There was a touch of bitterness in her voice.

Walker seemed to pick up on it. �You know what you�re doing, though. I 
can tell by the way you move. They said you ain�t regular military, 
though. What do you Hounds do?�

�Chase cats.�

�Cats are so dangerous in Japan you need an automatic rifle to take them 
out?�

�Some breeds.�

You know thinking about, the Witch Hunters would fit well into X-Men continuity.

The thing about the response was that, to Walker�s ears, it sounded like 
she was being serious. He supposed he lost something in the translation 
and distracted himself by looking down at the monitor. �I�m getting 
something odd here. While there�s nothing strong enough to be the Hulk 
himself, I am picking up unusually high gamma readings. Not dangerous 
levels, but ten times greater than normal. I think they go off in a 
direction.�

�We�ll report back.� Narusawa radioed back to their headquarters. The 
response was immediate. �We keep following the trail.�

�Got it.�

The two continued on past the alleyway.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Awareness returned to Ryouga as he felt himself being jostled in an up 
and down motion. Memories of his childhood marked it as the same motion 
he had felt when being carried by either of his parents, during those 
infrequent times when he saw them. Rather than being curled up in 
someone�s arms, however, he found his face pointed toward the ground. He 
was slung over someone�s shoulder, and Ryouga was no child, but a young 
man on a quest for vengeance.

Instinctively Ryouga used his arms to brace himself on the massive back 
of the person carrying him, and kicked off, wiggling out of the grasp 
around his legs. He used his arms to flip himself over the shoulder and 
to land on his feet with his back to his carrier�s. He spun around more 
quickly than the other and caught a view of a massive hunchbacked form 
hidden beneath a tattered outfit of rags. The being had to be nearly 
three meters tall and weighed a quarter ton. As the figure turned, it 
wore a hood that hid its features deep within a veil of darkness.

�Who the hell are you?!� Ryouga shouted.

Wordlessly the figure reached out with a massive hand, huge fattened 
fingers poking through what might have at one time been gloves, with 
clumps of dirt sticking to them. A rancid smell reached Ryouga�s 
nostrils as the hand came near his face, and he resisted the urge to 
regurgitate.

Ryouga drew a fist back, but a cracked voice, barely recognizable as 
female, shouted, �Stop!�

The large figure did so, lowering its hand. Not sensing any impending 
violence, Ryouga turned to confront the speaker. Crone was the first 
word that came to mind, like some refugee from a Grimm fairy tale. She 
was dressed in a frayed purple cloak, old, but not in the state of 
disrepair that the clothing of the other figure was. Long wisps of thin 
white hair, many standing up on the top of her head, flowed down her 
back, and her face was a crag of crinkled lines. Rummy eyes gazed at 
him, and as she opened her mouth, only three teeth, two on the top and 
on the bottom, were visible.

�Please, please kind sir, don�t be trying to beat up my Kenny. He�s a 
good boy, he is. I asked him to grabs you, since them awful soldiers 
boys was comin�. Kenny found you sleeping it off in an alley. Didn�t 
think it proper to leave a poor defenseless lad like you in theirs 
hands, so we was takin� you back to our home. No harm. We didn�t mean 
you no harm.�

The quiet desperation struck a chord in Ryouga, and he paused to take in 
his surroundings. From all appearances he had been carried to a 
warehouse that had been abandoned sometime back in World War II. There 
was a large empty space that dominated this floor, with every kind of 
debris imaginable littering the length of it. Many holes could be seen 
in the flooring, some nearly two meters wide, that led to the level 
below. Mildew and rot filled the air, and Ryouga�s stomach roiled again. 
This was no decent home, not even for a rat.

�Who are you?� Ryouga asked.

�My name�s Yumi, it is. And that�s my son, Kenny. Come here, Kenny.�

Kenny shuffled over to his mother, waiting at her side like an obedient, 
mute dog.

It wasn�t much of an explanation, but looking this pair over, it might 
be the best they could manage. Something she said earlier caught his 
ear. �What were you saying about soldiers?�

�Soldier boys coming. They hunt us all the time, all because my Kenny�s 
different. It ain�t his fault he is, Mister. No one would want to be the 
way he is. But �cause he�s different, we keeps getting hunting. First by 
the townspeople in our fishing village, then by everyone we meet. People 
don�t like it when other people are different, they don�t. They hates 
what�s different and drive it away. But it ain�t my Kenny�s fault for 
being different. It ain�t.�

Ryouga still couldn�t make out Kenny�s features very well, but what 
little of his flesh that poked out through the ruins of his clothing 
looked darkened, almost charred. Maybe he had been horribly burned, or 
was deformed, or was some kind of mutant. Maybe he was a burned, 
deformed, mutant. Whatever he was, he was a creature to be pitied, not 
feared.

Ryouga knew what it was like to be different. He had always been 
stronger and tougher than the other kids. And there was his terrible 
sense of direction. And he was shy, especially around pretty girls. 
Combined, his characteristics had made him a social outcast. And then 
along came Ranma, who was the epitome of all Ryouga was not. He was even 
a better fighter that had picked on Ryouga mercilessly, just like people 
picked on poor, hideous Kenny. Probably the only difference was Ranma 
hadn�t stolen Kenny�s bread every day for a month.

Lately Ryouga�s sense of isolation had been worse. He was waking up in 
strange, far off lands with no memory of how he had gotten there. And 
his clothing kept getting shredded and he ended up in torn purple pants. 
He felt even more harassed and picked on, even if no one had either 
harassed or picked on him in a while. He was so out of sorts that he 
didn�t even feel all that angry at life anymore, as though most of his 
anger was somehow being drained out of him. Hell, he wasn�t even that 
angry at Ranma anymore. Whenever he thought of his mortal enemy, he just 
couldn�t get worked up over it like he used to.

And compared to Kenny, Ryouga had it easy. At least he could walk around 
in the normal world. But this poor guy couldn�t even go out in public. 
It really put things in perspective.

A sound came from one of the holes. Kenny moved surprisingly swift for a 
man his size. He peeked down the hole, and then drew back.

Yumi moved toward the edge quietly and looked down. �Them soldiers is 
here,� she whispered in fear. �They�re going to take my Kenny away from me.�

It took Ryouga all of two seconds to decide. �I�ll take care of them.�

�You will?� Yumi asked. Even Kenny cocked his head quizzically in his 
direction.

�I know how to fight,� Ryouga assured her. �You two stay out of the way. 
This shouldn�t take me more than a few seconds.�

Ryouga looked through the bottom of the hole, keeping as close to the 
edge as he could without giving away his position. There were only two 
people dressed in military uniforms. Surprisingly, one was a gaijin who 
had some sort of box in his hands. The other was a girl. Ryouga didn�t 
like hitting girls, but sometime it had to be done. Besides, girls 
tended to have little reluctance when it came to smacking men around, 
when they felt there was just cause.

Once they passed by, Ryouga leaped down through the hole. He tried 
landing quietly, but the weakened flooring groaned under his sudden 
weight, threatening to break. Both soldiers turned in surprise.

Ryouga was fast, kicking the foreigner hard in the gut. The blow landed 
solidly, and the solider dropped the device he had. Ryouga waded in with 
a hard right to the man�s jaw, sending him crashing limply to the floor.

Ryouga turned, hoping to talk the woman into surrendering. Instead he 
was met with a boot to the face, rattling his jaw. Spinning gracefully, 
she switched legs and hit him in the stomach with a thrust kick right 
into his solar plexus, driving the wind out of him. She chopped him in 
the back of his unprotected neck, but his durability won out, and he 
managed to lash out with a fist, driving the woman back.

�What are you? A phantom cat?� she asked.

Ryouga was about to deny it, not even knowing what a ghost cat had to do 
with anything, when he saw a form come swinging down from the hole. 
Kenny dangled from one long, almost simian-like arm that clung to the 
edge of the hole, and lashed out with his feet. It was only a glancing 
blow to the woman�s head, but it sent her to the floor. Rendering her 
just as unconscious as the first man.

�Kenny thought you could use the help,� Yumi said from above.

Kenny reached up, cradled the frail woman in his arms, and landed on the 
floor. Yumi looked the two over. �Good, they�re still alive. No harm 
done, then.�

Ryouga said, �I doubt if they were alone. I think they were looking for 
something. Probably you. You two had better get out of here.�

Yumi nodded. �We�ll just grab a few things and go. You�d better go now, 
just to be on the safe side.�

�I should help,� Ryouga insisted.

�You�ve done more than enough. Kenny and me don�t want you getting mixed 
up in our business. Bad enough you had to do what you did to these two. 
We�d never forgive ourselves if you got into trouble.�

�If you�re sure.�

�We are. You run along. Me and Kenny will be going soon.�

Ryouga turned to go, then realized something. �How do I get out?�

Yumi said, �We�re only on the second floor. There�s a stairwell behind 
that pillar there. You go down one floor, then exit. Any direction you 
go will lead out. Whatever you do, don�t try going down to the basement. 
Them stairs is crumbling bad and you�ll fall through for sure. Go out 
the first door you come to and you�ll be fine.�

�Right. Good luck. I hope you find some place were soldiers can�t find 
you.� For some reason, that desire struck a chord in Ryouga, even if he 
had never been chased by soldiers. He waved at them and turned to go.

Ryouga was relieved to find the door to the stairwell on the first try. 
That it was the only door still on its hinges on the level helped 
greatly. He entered the stairwell, closing the door behind him, and 
proceeded to walk downward.

It was as he walked down that an errant thought occurred to him. Yumi 
had told him to exit through the first door he came to, except the first 
door he came to was the one he had entered, wasn�t it? Did that one 
count and she meant to go down one floor and out, or was it some kind of 
complicated way of getting out? She probably meant two doors. So he 
would count off two doors, and go out that way.

Ryouga had come to that conclusion when he realized he had run out of 
stairs. He didn�t think he had passed a door on the way down, except he 
had to have passed at least the first door. He just hadn�t been paying 
attention to if he had already passed door number two or not. So was 
this the door he was supposed to go out or not?

Ryouga shrugged. He would take this door, and if it didn�t lead out, he 
would choose a different one. There could only be so many doors in a 
building, after all. Course decided, he opened what he hoped was the 
exit. There were no quick answers, as beyond the doorway was only pitch 
blackness, not a hint of light anywhere. Part of Ryouga wanted to leave 
and go back up, but he�d look incredibly stupid if he went up the stairs 
and ended up right back where he had started. That last thing in the 
world he wanted was to be lugged around by Kenny again. It was better to 
move on ahead, and if he couldn�t find a way out, go up one level and 
try again.

Ryouga walked through the darkness, becoming aware of an odd scent in 
the air. It was even worse than the upper level had been. It took a 
moment to recall where he had smelled it before: when Kenny had reached 
out to grab him.

Maybe this was Kenny�s living chamber. If so, he needed a bath in the 
worst possible way. Ryouga continued walking until something snapped 
under his foot. He cursed both the darkness and his clumsiness. He hoped 
it wasn�t something valuable of Kenny�s he had broken. Not that Kenny 
looked like he had anything valuable. But one never knew.

Crouching down, Ryouga felt around for what he had broken, hoping he 
could repair or replace it. As his hand played across something round, 
Ryouga picked it up and began feeling it, trying to figure out what it 
was by sense of touch alone. The top was rounded, but the bottom uneven. 
There seemed to be two holes on it on one side, and strands of something 
sticking to it.

He was still trying to figure out what was in his hands when the room 
suddenly filled with a dim illumination that came from the stairwell. 
Ryouga saw that what he had in his hands was a human skull, stray bits 
of flesh and hair still clinging to it.

�Ah!� Ryouga dropped the skull to the floor, cracking it. He turned to 
look, and in the dull illumination, he saw bones scattered everywhere. 
Right next to him was a knee-high pile of skulls, at least three dozen 
in number, if not more.

�I told you not to come here.�

Ryouga turned toward the source of the light. Yumi stood partially 
revealed in the yellow glow, the wizened crone holding a cracked oil 
lantern in front of her. Standing several meters away from her was 
Kenny, both the military people slung over his shoulders like sacks of 
rice.

�You shouldn�t have ought to done that, Mister. I told you not to come 
down to the basement.�

Ryouga�s heart began to race. �It was an accident. I have a bad 
direction sense. Maybe I should leave.� He made no motion to head toward 
the doorway, not with the now sinister pair between him and any 
sanctuary beyond.

�Now it�s too late. We liked you, Mister, really we did. You helped us, 
and we were real appreciative, but now it�s too late. You�ll tell others 
and they�ll blame Kenny again, like they always do. It�s not his fault, 
his condition. We was poor, and his father was dead, and fishing was 
bad. He found it washed up on the shore and thought it was just a fish. 
He didn�t know it was a mermaid, not with its top missing. Wasn�t right 
it made him into what he is, and gave him an appetite for people. It�s 
hard on us, it is. Always having to move before people find out. It�s 
just not right.�

Ryouga had heard legends of what happened to people that devoured 
mermaid�s flesh. Some said it gave the eater immortality, while others 
said it only brought death. He had also heard it changed people into 
monsters. Since he didn�t believe in mermaids, there was no reason to 
wonder which of the legends were true, though by all appearances it was 
the last.

�Perhaps if you go to the police they�ll help Kenny find a cure,� Ryouga 
suggested, peering into the gloom, praying he could find an alternate exit.

�They�ll just lock him up when it ain�t his fault. No, it�s better this 
way. Kenny was going to have these two as a meal before we left, but 
he�s got a hearty appetite. Three will keep him happy for a while.� She 
nodded at the misshapen form of her son

Kenny allowed the soldiers to slump to the floor, then charged Ryouga. 
Even he was startled by the burst of speed from someone so large. The 
top of the cloak fell away, revealing the face of Kenny. It was hideous, 
large and lumpy, with scales, large fish eyes, and a hole where his nose 
should have been. Not a strand of hair was left, on his head, and only 
hunger existed in his jaundiced-colored eyes.

Ryouga only had a chance to take a half-step back when the cursed-human 
was upon him. Kenny said nothing, given the shape of his head and neck 
perhaps he was incapable of creating human sounds. His mouth worked 
fine, though, as he opened his maw so large it appeared his jaw must 
have dislocated. Two rows of centimeters long teeth were revealed, and 
sank deep into Ryouga�s shoulder, causing him pain like nothing else 
ever had. He roared in agony.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yumi watched her son go to work. He had a hearty appetite, her boy did. 
He�d eat all three of the meddlesome people, and then they could move on 
to somewhere else. Maybe Kyoto. There were lots of people there. Who 
would miss a few? One thing Japan didn�t suffer from was a shortage of 
people. She was doing the country a favor, when one thought of it. 
Kenshiro was a good boy, he was.

Then she saw something peculiar. Kenny had stopped for some reason. 
Usually he would have bitten through the boy�s shoulder and worked his 
way up to the torso. He had wonderful teeth. No need for a dentist, not 
for him. But instead he ceased chewing for some reason.

Then he started to rise up. Yumi wondered what was going on when she 
realized he was rising up until his feet were dangling off the floor. 
Then she saw it, the huge green hand reach up from under his arm to grab 
Kenny by his neck. The arm was huge, even bigger than her Kenny�s, and 
the cries from the boy became deeper bellows of rage.

The arm pried Kenny from his perch on the boy, and Yumi saw the huge 
green beast that now had her son in its powerful grip. Her heart 
trembled, just like it had when she realized what her son had eaten on 
that windswept beach so many months ago.

The beast roared, �You try to eat Hulk! You hurt Hulk! You make Hulk 
bleed! Now Hulk will make you bleed!� He threw Kenny across the length 
of the room. The cursed boy�s body collided with a pillar that buckled 
under the force of the impact.

�Kenny!� Yumi cried out, not understanding what was going on, other than 
some terrible monster was trying to kill her child.

The mermaid�s curse left Kenny with the stamina and power of a dozen 
men. He rose back to his feet and charged the Hulk, intent on finishing 
his meal.

Eyes rimmed in red from pain and rage, the Hulk drew back his fist and 
struck the incoming mass of flesh hard in the stomach with an uppercut. 
The blow sent Kenny sailing back where he had originally been tossed, 
this time impacting with the ceiling. He bounced off and back to the 
ground where he lay motionless for several seconds. Then he began to 
rise again.

�Hulk will smash stupid monster!� the emerald behemoth promised.

It was not to be as the combination of the loss of pillar and impact to 
the ceiling proved too much for the ages old structure to bear. Three 
quarters of the ceiling came down upon Kenny, crushing him under tons of 
rubble since that part of the basement extended to a fallen in part of 
the warehouse. Metal rods and concrete stuck up from the pile of debris, 
but there was no movement other than the slow settling of dust.

�Kenny!� Yumi shouted, running over to pile of concrete debris

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The Hulk watched the pile of rubble intently, wanting to smash the 
monster that had hurt him so severely. Though only with his good arm, 
since the wounds the monster had given him were still bleeding. He 
looked down at the holes still there. Never had he been hurt like this 
before. He wanted to punch the creature again and again until there was 
nothing left.

So intent was the Hulk on wanting revenge that he was unaware of the 
activity on the surface until lights shined down upon him. He looked up 
and was perplexed by what he saw. Six giant armored figures, each nearly 
four meters tall, looked down on him from edges of the hole. The figures 
had oversized forearms and lower legs, and cables led from those parts 
into a huge hump on their backs, though they remained upright. They 
weren�t robots, however, as each one had a clear faceplate, and behind 
them were the faces of men.

Xxxxxxxxx

Major Glenn Talbot had led his five men to the site where they had 
received the last transmission of Sergeant Walker and his Hound guide. 
When they had failed to report in, General Ross feared the worst and 
ordered Talbot to lead the squad of Mandroid Armor out to locate the 
soldiers, low profile be damned.

That was the way Talbot wanted it. He finally had a chance to be the 
hero and impress Betty Ross, the general�s daughter. It had been love at 
first sight for Talbot, though he quickly learned she seemed to only 
have eyes for that wimp Bruce Banner. But that was because she hadn�t 
met a man like Glenn Talbot. Once she saw what a true man of action was 
capable of, downing that walking disaster called the Hulk, she�d fall 
for him in an instant. Then he�d show her what real men were capable of 
and why nerds like Banner weren�t worth giving the time of day.

The sound of something collapsing had drawn the squad�s attention. They 
had raced as fast as they could to the source of the noise, only to 
discover a scene out of some horror movie. It was a pit full of human 
remains, dozens of them, some of them showing signs of having been 
eaten, with a huge, roaring monstrosity in the center of the charnel 
house. The Hulk looked even more dangerous and horrifying in person, 
especially when surrounded by so many dead bodies.

Talbot made certain that image was being transmitted back to the base. 
�Can you see this, General?�

�We see it. My god, we see it,� Ross said.

Kaori�s voice came over in the background. �The Hulk was responsible for 
all the disappearances. He�s a serial killer of some kind! He has to be 
killed!�

Another voice, much more official in tone, came over. �This is Soyozoh. 
You have my permission to use lethal force in dealing with the Hulk.�

�Thank you, Sir,� Talbot said. He was about to order the men to open 
fire on the Hulk when he noticed in elderly woman nearby. It looked like 
she was trying to dig her way out to escape the Hulk. It was probably 
his latest intended victim. Well, he had no intention of allowing her to 
be devoured by that monster.

As Talbot considered how to get the Hulk out, the creature did the job 
for him. While he had heard stories of the Hulk�s prodigious leaps, the 
major was unprepared for how far and fast the monstrosity could go with 
barely tensing his legs. He sailed up and out of the pit, landing a good 
twenty meters away. The behemoth turned, rage evident on his features. 
Talbot wondered if, after he killed the Hulk, that look would still be 
on his face. He would love to keep the head and mount it on his wall 
next to his other trophies. The Hulk was just a mutated pig, after all.

�As we practiced, men,� Talbot ordered. The men ran around the Hulk, 
surrounding him in a circle, yet each was mindful not to stand directly 
across from one of the others.

Talbot wanted to open fire, but protocol dictated he try to end things 
peacefully. �Surrender, monster, and submit yourself to United States 
authority.�

The Hulk bellowed, �Stupid metal man with big hands, Hulk not monster. 
Hulk stop monster.�

That sounded like a refusal to Talbot. Everything was recorded for 
posterity. Now he would have a clear conscience in destroying the Hulk. 
�Unit�s 2 and 5, maneuver D4.�

�Roger!� the men operating the Mandroids shouted. Each of the men raised 
their metal gauntlets and opened their hands, pointing them in the 
Hulk�s direction. From their index fingers thick cables shot out. Unit 2 
snared the Hulk�s good arm, while the other wrapped one around the 
Hulk�s left ankle.

�Now!� Talbot ordered. Thousands of amps shot through the cable and into 
the Hulk, making his body twitch and hair stand on end. It was proving 
too easy.

The Hulk stopped twitching long enough to brace his feet and tense up 
his good arm. Then he jerked the snared arm, whipping the Mandroid 
around as though he weighed one pound instead of a thousand. The 
Mandroid went sailing into the air, colliding with the other one that 
was electrocuting the Hulk. The impact caused the cable around the 
Hulk�s arm to snap and the one around his leg stopped conducting 
electricity into his body, going slack. The Hulk stepped out of cable 
and turned to confront his remaining attackers.

�Stupid metal men are just as bad as robots! Everyone attacks Hulk for 
no reason! Now Hulk will smash!�

Now Talbot felt the first vestige of fear creep along his spine. The 
Hulk hadn�t been affected by the electricity in the slightest. But years 
of training and cool professionalism took over. �Heat beams! We�ll boil 
the blood in his veins!�

A wide beam emanated from a slit on the top of the heads of the 
Mandroids, each striking the Hulk. Even one of the fallen units had 
recovered enough to add his heat beam to the onslaught. Despite the 
continuous nature of the attack, the Hulk simply stood there, growing 
madder by the second.

�Stupid metal men think making Hulk sweat will stop him?! Nothing can 
stop the Hulk!� He began to move toward Talbot.

The major jerked slightly, his beam moving across one of the Hulk�s 
shoulder. The beast stopped moving forward and roared out in pain. It 
took Talbot a moment to realize why his beam had affected the Hulk when 
none of the others had. �He�s wounded in the shoulder, men. Concentrate 
energy weapons on that shoulder. Rapid fire!�

They disengaged the heat beams and went with the more powerful energy 
weapons built into their hands. Every Mandroid opened up with everything 
they had. Now the Hulk was put on the defensive, trying to protect his 
injured shoulder from the raging fire. But the wound inflicted by 
Kenny�s mouth was too wide for even the Hulk�s large hand to cover, and 
several of the discharges hit the cuts directly, causing him to become 
dizzy with pain.

�Close in and finish him off!� Talbot ordered.

The Mandroids started to do so, pouring the fire from their hands at 
their target.

Then a shield whizzed through the air and hit Unit 2�s in the hands, 
striking one and bouncing off to hit the other, sending his blasts awry.

A flying hammer impacted with Unit 3, sending him sailing through the 
air, his flight arrested upon crashing into a building.

A pair of repulsor rays struck Unit 4, knocking him off his feet.

Two arrows struck Unit 5 in the hands, each exploding and disrupting his 
firing capabilities.

Talbot and the remaining Mandroid discontinued their attack and turned 
to face the new threat. Standing boldly before him on a nearby pile of 
rubble, the major identified the entire roster of the Avengers, save for 
one female in a suit of power armor of some kind, one much smaller than 
the Mandroids. Since the large, bulky armor of the Iron Rose wasn�t 
present, he assumed this was a new version of the armor. Lighter by far 
than its predecessor and a mix of grey and black instead of jet black, 
it looked too slender to be very powerful.

It probably would actually have a rose on it in the way that the real Kodachi
had a rose motif on her leotard.  

Captain Japan caught his returning shield as the Avengers moved apart. 
He said, �Hey, pal, when you attack one Avenger, you attack us all, and 
there aren�t anywhere near enough of you to keep your asses from getting 
kicked.�

Computers in the Mandroid�s armor translated the youth�s speech. The 
joke was on this impudent upstart. He wasn�t the hero, here, Talbot was. 
The major activated his speaker to translate his own words into 
Japanese. �We are an elite U.S. military unit sanctioned by your 
government to apprehend the Hulk and remand him into our custody. He�s 
wanted in connection to the serial killing of over two dozen Japanese 
citizens. Interference with us is the same as breaking the law. Now 
stand aside.�

�Yeah, right,� Captain Japan said. �Even if what you said is true, and I 
doubt it, it looked to me like you were trying to kill our big green 
buddy instead of capturing him. And while the oversized galoot has a bad 
temper, he ain�t no killer. So why don�t you back off and let us handle 
the situation before things get painful for you?�

This snot-nosed punk�s attitude rubbed Talbot wrong in every way 
imaginable. Where did he get off thumbing his nose at authority, 
especially when Talbot and his men were armed to the teeth while he was 
just some glorified acrobat with a shield? A quick look showed the major 
that his men had recovered from the Avengers sneak attack. Now the fight 
would be on even ground, and Talbot had faith in the state-of-the-art 
technology Tony Stark had provided.

�Disable the Avengers, men!� Talbot ordered.

The Avengers separated, preventing the Mandroids from concentrating 
their fire on them as a group.

The fight was on.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The man in Unit 2�s Mandroid armor smirked as he opened fire on Captain 
Japan, who was stupid enough to actually charge him. While the youth was 
fast, there was nothing he could to the armor. It was composed of a 
titanium-osmium alloy which could take a rocket at point blank range and 
only have its surface marred. Though try as he might, the solider 

soldier

couldn�t seem to hit the captain, even firing at full automatic.

Darting and weaving through the unrelenting fire, Captain Japan was 
suddenly standing in front of the Mandroid, bringing his shield up in 
front of him. Like some hunk of metal that would stop a full power 
energy blast. The youth was a century too late. Maybe destroying the 
shield would convince the hero he was totally outclassed.

Unit 2 put his hands up flush with the shield and fired at point blank 
range. Captain Japan remained where he was, but the back blast from the 
concussion traveled up the barrels the discharge had come from. It went 
up the Mandroid�s arms, blowing the metal off and causing the suit to 
shut down from the catastrophic damage it had suffered. It froze up, 
standing like a statue.

Captain Japan smirked at the man behind the faceplate. �Sorry, Pal, I 
gotta do it.� He placed one arm against the armor and pushed.

The Mandroid fell over with an audible thump.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unit 6 found himself facing off against the Goddess of Thunder. Now this 
was a chick he�d love to go hand-to-hand with, and do a whole lot of 
other things to as well. �You�d better give up,� he warned. �This unit 
is designed to withstand lightning strikes. There isn�t anything you can 
do.�

Er...except maybe tear his armour apart with her bare hands. 

�Thou thinkist the tinkerings of man can overcome the full fury of the 
storm? Think again.� Thor tapped her hammer to the ground. A lightning 
bolt five times greater than any normal one struck the Mandroid in the 
top of the head. When the flash of light cleared, all could see the now 
smoldering singed black remains of the giant, inoperable hunk of metal 
with its pilot now trapped inside.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unit 3 squared off with the Iron Rose�s new streamlined armor that was 
hovering before him. �Get ready to have your ass kicked, Avenger. You�re 
dealing with a twenty million dollar, top-of-the-line power armor built 
by America�s greatest mechanical genius. There�s no way that rice burner 
you�re wearing can stand up to it.�

The Iron Rose replied, �While I will concede Stark�s inventive genius 
might rival my employer�s own, I�m afraid that what you�re wearing is a 
mass-produced, cost-efficient production model, while my own armor is a 
unique, highly customized, prohibitively expensive armor, which means I 
can afford to have the absolute best of every piece of technology there 
is, all of it handmade by the person who developed it.�

Unit 3 suddenly felt very uneasy. He tried to prove the Iron Rose wrong 
by firing upon her. However she proved far too fast and nimble, deftly 
evading his energy blasts in an elaborate aerial ballet. She literally 
flew circles around him, lashing out everywhere with her repulsor beams 
and causing warning lights to flash all across his readouts. Then she 
became creative, using lasers, tasers, and a dozen other exotic weapons, 
as though she were testing out their capabilities, on him. Within 
minutes his armor was reduced to a useless hunk of metal.

Silently he swore the next time he bought a car, it would be a Honda.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unit 5 found himself confronted by a red garbed man wearing a devil�s 
mask. He also found himself laughing contemptuously. �I know you. You�re 
Daredevil, the powerless superhero who hides stuff in his pants. You go 
ahead and throw your billy clubs, chains, and whatever useless crap you 
got stuffed in there. I�m going to find me a real superhero.�

�How about I try this?� Daredevil reached into his sleeves and pulled 
out in object.

Unit 5 laughed even harder. �Oh yeah, a water balloon. Now that�s 
dangerous. I guess I�d better surrender before you make me rust solid.�

Daredevil lobbed the balloon at Unit�s 5 faceplate. It exploded against 
the plastic, blackening the view so the man inside couldn�t see 
anything. �Paint? You think that can stop me? I got heat sensors, you 
know.�

Unit 5 switched them on just in time to make out Daredevil throwing a 
small metal can at him. Unit 5 tried to block the can, but it slipped 
past his arms and hit him in the face, where it broke and splattered 
some wet substance over him.

�You already messed up by windshield,� the soldier said.

Daredevil pulled out a book of matches, lit one up, and threw it at the 
Mandroid. Instantly his sensor unit was covered in flame, turning his 
view an unrelenting red.

Blinded, Unit 5 was unaware of the archer that had made her way behind 
him until four blast arrows impacted at his shoulders and knees, 
disabling all of his limbs, leaving him to collapse on his stomach, 
unable to move or see.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unit 4 found himself confronted by twenty feet of human being in the 
form of Giant Man. While the Mandroid armor made Unit 4 extremely tall, 
there was something terribly disturbing about seeing someone so 
proportionately huge.

�I feel extraordinarily Lilliputian,� Unit 4 said to himself. He then 
activated his external speakers. �You know, shooting you isn�t going to 
be a problem. I don�t think I could miss if I tried.�

�How about shooting me instead?�

Unit 4 couldn�t locate the source of the voice, until he saw a small 
girl with wings out of her back hovering no more than a handful of 
centimeters in front of his faceplate. She waved at him, smiling pleasantly.

�You�re got power blasts, don�t you?� Unit 4 asked.

�Yes,� Wasp answered.

It now occurred to him that her smile wasn�t all the pleasant, at least 
not as far as he was concerned. He knew enough about the specs of the 
Mandroid armor to know the faceplate was the weak point, and that at 
such a close range he couldn�t do anything to the Wasp that wouldn�t 
cause him considerable damage as well.

�I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers� money in trashing this 
armor.� He held his hands up in surrender.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

While the others had squared off against their opponents, Talbot had 
decided to continue with his primary directive. The Hulk was wounded, 
and if he was killed, the Avengers would lose their reason for fighting.

Talbot needs to look up the word "avenge" in the dictionary.  
 

He had to finish the Hulk fast on the offhand chance his men were 
defeated and the entire roster of the Avengers fell upon him. Deciding 
to risk it all, Talbot disengaged the safety limiters on his Mandroid 
armor. It would flood all of his systems with a hundred and seventy-five 
percent of their normal power, but any amount of time over five minutes 
would overload the armor, rendering it twenty-million dollar 
paperweight. But stopping the Hulk was all that mattered, and Talbot 
knew he could finish him off under the time limit.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Talbot turned off his radio. One of the Avengers had obviously hacked 
into the military�s radio frequency and impersonated the general�s 
voice. Most likely it was the Iron Rose. 

Hm.  I wonder how that will work as a defense at court-martial.  

Major Glenn Talbot was not some 

mindless automaton. He knew what he had seen. The Hulk was a menace that 
needed to end, and the glory would belong to Talbot.

The Gamma Imploder was charged up. All it would take was a pull of the 
trigger, and the Hulk would die a painful, if near instantaneous, death. 
Yet Banner hesitated, something was wrong with the Hulk�s actions.

Comma splice

The emerald giant tossed the blade away. He placed one mighty foot on 
side of the rent, and dug his good hand in the opposite side. With a 
snarl he lifted upward, peeling half the armor off like rind from an 
orange. Banner watched in fascination as the Hulk did the same thing to 
the other side. There was now a hole large enough to allow a coughing 
Talbot to pull himself free from his metal tomb.

The Hulk looked disdainfully at the man, then walked away, holding his 
wounded shoulder gingerly. Now the Hulk was in the clear, allowing 
Banner to finish the matter once and for all. A simple pull of the 
trigger to clear his conscience, but instead of firing, the weapon fell 
to Banner�s side. He wasn�t sure of exactly what happened, but anything� 
no, anyone that could show mercy to a foe like Talbot would not die at 
the hands of Robert Bruce Banner. Nor would he create anymore weapons to 

any more

capture of kill the Hulk. Upon returning to the base, he would break the 

capture or 

Gamma Imploder and destroy the plans to it.

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