Leeds
"I'm going to miss being on Lyonesse all the time, I have to admit." Bruce Banner pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. He wore a long white coat over a muscle shirt that revealed a massive, green-tinted physique. His longish hair was pulled back into a ponytail that he let drape down his back and on his lips was a mischievous grin. He continued to make notations in his journal, aware that his girlfriend had shifted to look at him.
"You're just going to miss all those letters Katie Price was sending. She's a nasty little bird, isn't she?"
Bruce glanced over at Molly Fitzgerald, who lay on the couch, watching the telly. "You weren't really jealous of her, were you? She's hardly my type."
"That's why you ran about the castle, showing everyone the pictures she'd sent you." Molly sat up, resting her forearms on the arm of the couch. She wore cotton pajamas, her auburn hair loose and inviting. "Do you think we made a mistake leaving the Pendragons*?"
(*See Pendragons # 59.)
The Hulk sat back for a moment, his oversized features lost in thought. "No. Not really. We're only a few minutes away if they need us -- your Phoenix powers take any travel issues and render them moot. Besides, I'd like to spend some time focusing on our own issues."
"You're not talking about that garden project out back, are you?" Molly rose from the couch and moved to stand behind her lover. She rubbed his shoulders, feeling how tight and hard his muscles were. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to find him, Bruce. I'm trying."
He reached up and placed his hand over hers, dwarfing it in size. "The Maestro will make himself known soon enough. I just hope I'm ready when he does."
"Have you thought about asking Dane for help?"
That made Bruce look up in surprise. "Dane Whitman? The former Black Knight, now neo-deity known as the Lord of the Lake? No -- Hadn't occurred to me. Should it have?"
"Bastard or not, he's tied into the eternal power of Avalon now. That gives him the ability to see things that others can't."
"Not a bad idea, I guess...." Bruce's words trailed off as someone knocked at the front door. "I'll get it -- go back to watching Eastenders."
The Hulk stepped through their home, smiling to himself at how much he'd grown to like this little house. It'd only been a few weeks, but he felt more at ease here than he had since he'd lived with Betty. His neighbors had been a bit shocked to see him working in the yard and such, but they were good people and the Pendragons were very popular.
He opened the door and received a powerful energy blast directly in his face. It was enough to send him staggering backwards, knocking off the small table in the foyer. Molly's roses crashed to the floor, water spilling everywhere.
Bruce roared in pain, his vision lost in a haze of energy. "You're going to regret that, pal. Seriously." He swept his hand out, missing his target, whom he heard duck under his blow. He felt a sharp kick to his solar plexus, knocking the wind from him -- whoever this was, they knew how and where to hit him.
Another blast hit him in the chest, eliciting another cry of agony. He heard Molly say something, but couldn't make it out -- and then cosmic flame was roaring all around him. He hoped she didn't bring her full Phoenix Force abilities to bear inside the house -- he'd just swept yesterday.
"I've got her, Bruce. Are you okay?" Molly asked.
The Hulk nodded slowly, letting his vision come back into focus. He was mad -- really mad -- but he kept a good reign on his emotions these days. Just below the surface of his Professor persona lurked two very dangerous personality variants... Joe Fixit, straight-talking gangster, and the Savage Hulk, he of the ripped purple pants and limited vocabulary. Neither of them were beings that Bruce trusted very much. "I'm fine. Just a bit pissed off, that's all." He saw Molly, now decked out in her skintight Phoenix costume (Gotta love the ability to rewrite molecules at will, he mused). Just in front of her, held tight in a fiery bird's claw, was a woman that Bruce thought gone forever. "Janis?! What the hell are you doing?"
The young woman with the red mohawk writhed in the grip of the Phoenix. "Studly... I'm sorry. But you've got to get out of here! I was going to take you down myself and get you someplace safe before--"
"Before what?" Bruce asked, moving forward quickly. "Are we in danger?"
"You could say that," Janis replied, her words almost lost in the roar of jet engines, growing ever louder. The Hulk stepped into the street, looking skywards. Many of his neighbors were doing the same, fear and concern evident in their faces. He recognized the ship as it descended, his heart growing cold and full of fury. Its vertical takeoff and landing gear allowed it to settled down peacefully enough, though debris flew about wildly.
"Let her go, Molly. She's not the dangerous one." He pointed towards the forms of Atalanta, Achilles, Ajax and Ulysses. Four of the Pantheon. "They are."
The Maestro stared at the Manor before him, his mechanized eyes scanning the area for any sign of its owner. There was none, to his relief. He did not want to expose himself before the time was right... before he had his older self neutralized.
It had been a long, strange path leading the Maestro back to this place and time. In his own reality, there had been no Black Mass Barrier, of course, but he'd been to Europe, nonetheless. After Betty's death and his own descent into madness, he'd traveled throughout the globe, destroying all who stood in his way... Latveria. The Knights of Pendragon. Le Peregrine. All of them -- great and small, had fallen before his might.
"But this isn't my world," he murmured to himself. "And I can't afford to think that things will play out like before... Especially not with my younger self around."
The Maestro strode onto the Manor grounds, all too aware that his own psyche was brittle to the point of breaking. He was talking to hear his own voice, trying desperately to retain a sense of humanity, no matter how disjointed. He hated this robotic form -- the Overhulk -- that he now wore, but it would do. It had to.
A small electronic camera rose up from the grass, training its eye upon him. The Maestro smashed it to bits with a savage kick and continued on. He'd expected the Braddocks to have something like this in place -- with their money and connections, it only made sense for them to have state of the art protection. Even if he managed to acquire his goal, he had no doubt that those on Lyonesse would know soon enough.
He moved around to the side of the house, trying to remember the things he'd gleaned from the computers at the Weird Happenings Organization. Before stealing the Overhulk from them, he'd allowed his connection to their system to find certain things that might help him -- and W.H.O. had detailed records about the incredible lab that had resided beneath this residence. Technology from Otherworld were just the barest of treasures to be mined here.
Confident that he'd reached the right spot, he drove his powerful fist deep into the earth. He began ripping away soil and rock, until he'd revealed a passageway of sorts. He jumped downwards, eventually pushing his way into the lab that had once belonged to Betsy and Brian Braddock's parents.
"Are you still here, Mastermind? Or does your consciousness no longer reside in this lab?"
Nothing answered him, though the Maestro could hear the ticking of a clock.
He moved through the room, ignoring things left behind by the Braddocks. He wanted more than they could give. He wanted a potent mind that could help him prepare for all contingencies -- but one that he could hopefully control, as well.
The part of the Maestro that was still Bruce Banner recognized much of the equipment, but not all... he spotted several advanced-looking robotics pieces and picked them up. They were definitely part of some machine's personality matrix. He sought out something to test them on and finally settled on a small holographic projector lying in the corner.
Moments later, he stepped back as a figure appeared, shaped out of holographic light. It looked like the perfect genteel British butler, with graying hair and a soft moustache. "You rang, sir?" it asked, in a tone that seemed tinged with good humor.
"You're the Mastermind?" the Maestro asked, uncertain.
"A portion of his program, sir... Nothing more. Jeeves is how I prefer to be called."
"A portion... But you could be repaired, perhaps... to access your other functions?"
"Oh yes, sir. Of that, I have no doubt... And it would be my great pleasure to serve you."
"What the hell do you guys want?"
There was so much wrath in the Hulk's voice that even Ulysses took a step back. "This isn't how we wanted this to play out, Banner... But your little friend there forced our hand."
"They wanted to ambush you, Studly! But I wouldn't flarking let them -- there has to be a way out of all this! There always is -- My grandpa Rick taught me that!"
"Not this time, child -- Though I wish there was." Ulysses pointed his sword at the Hulk, aware that this small grouping of the Pantheon would never stand a chance of winning this fight. Though both he and Atalanta were fierce warriors, they lacked metahuman strength -- and Achilles was vulnerable to Gamma RRadiation, if nothing else. Ajax alone stood a chance of standing toe-to-toe with the Professor, but his mental abilites were limited, to say the least. "Delphi has foreseen your role in the future, Dr. Banner... and it's a not a pretty one."
The Hulk nodded once at Molly before answering. He saw her release Janis, though she was obviously uncertain about the wisdom of doing so. "Ulysses... I don't feel like kicking your asses, but I'll do it and you know it. So why don't you just explain what the deal is and we'll work it out."
"You're tryin' ta trick us with your big words!" bellowed Ajax, standing near Atalanta. The behemoth was clad in golden armor, but his anger was always held in check by his beloved friend. "I'm a-gonna bash you!"
Bruce rubbed a throbbing spot between his eyes. "No bash. No smash. We're all adults."
"Who are these guys?" Molly asked, waving apologetically at Mrs. Cordell across the street.
"The Pantheon, at your service." Achilles flashed her a winning smile, but Molly noticed that he was staying a good, safe distance away from Bruce. "And once upon a time, your bloke was our leader. Seems like ages ago, doesn't it?"
"Eons and eons," Bruce agreed. "So. Let's hear it. Why are you making a mess of my lawn?"
Ulysses sighed, but lowered his weapon. He cast an angry glance at Janis before launching into a tale that sent Molly's head to spinning and Bruce's into a deep, unsettled ache. "Delphi has foreseen a future in which you and the Maestro swap bodies. As you know, he's now in control of the Overhulk, a robotic being designed specifically to mimic your battle prowess... and surpass it. We believe that at some point he will come into possession of your body and you will kill him, having given in to the rage within you. You'll be the monster again, Bruce... and you'll bring about the death of Molly Fitzgerald." Ulysses allowed his words to sink in before continuing. "Then you'll regain your personality, but you'll be different -- colder, harsher. You'll think the Maestro was right, about the world never giving you any peace. And then you become the greatest tyrant the world has ever known."
There was a long silence before anyone spoke, but all eyes were on the mammoth figure of the Hulk. His eyes shone with an anger that was terrifying to behold. "That's a load of bull."
"Studly... It's not." Janis touched his arm, noting that the burned flesh from her earlier attack had already faded. "I saw what Delphi saw. It happened. There must be a way to stop it but there's no lie in what they're saying -- it is going to happen, unless we prevent it."
"Best way to prevent it," Atlalanta said, pointing an arrow at Bruce's head. "Is to take you out of the game."
"That's idiotic," Molly exclaimed. "Why not just focus on stopping the Maestro? If he's gone, then the future can't come to pass."
"It's always a possibility, as long as there's a monster lurking inside your boyfriend," Ulysses replied. "Don't get me wrong, Doctor Banner. I like you and respect you. But you're a disaster waiting to happen and I've seen it firsthand."
The Hulk cracked his knuckles, smiling coldly. "Then bring it on."
Ulysses blinked. "What? Right here?"
Bruce raised his hand and gestured with his fingers, inviting an attack. "Bring. It. On. Did I stutter?"
Ulysses narrowed his eyes. "If that's how you want it." He ran forward, sword raised and his allies followed suit. All along the street, nervous neighbors ran for cover, but the Hulk never blinked an eye.
"Molly. Do you mind?"
"Not at all." A small shamrock effect surrounded her right eye as she summoned the Phoenix Force.
The shamrocks appeared around the heads of each of the Pantheon, and they fell forward to the ground.
"Flark!" Janis exclaimed. "Did you flat-line 'em?"
"They're alive. Just asleep." Molly looked at Bruce. "What now?"
"Now I go to Avalon, like you suggested. Then I find the Maestro and end this thing once and for all. You mind taking out the trash?" Bruce gestured towards the fallen Pantheon.
"Fine. But next time, it's your turn."
Betty Banner lay in her frozen slumber, trapped between the world of the living and the dead. Slain through the machinations of her husband's old foe, the Abomination, Bruce had long thought her gone forever... but her father had stolen her body away and hidden it in the deserts of Arizona, hoping that someday she could be revived.
General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross stood beside her now, his hand resting atop the clear casket. His eyes were moist and his voice betrayed his emotion as he spoke. "I can't tell you how much this would mean to me... When I'd heard that you'd stayed on this side of the Barrier after destroying the Martian mothership, I had hoped you could do this. Is it true? What Fury and SHIELD say about you?"
Shevaun Haldane -- the Dark Angel -- nodded slowly. She found herself a bit unnerved that this woman's father had locked her body away so, but she also understood the reasons why... Death was never easy on the living. "I have means of visiting various limbo-like realms, ones that border the worlds of life and death. From what you've told me, I think I can contact her spirit and bring it back to her body... and I'm fairly certain that my magic can undo whatever lingering effects there might be from the Gamma poisoning."
Ross looked at her. He'd aged a lot since losing Betty and the ongoing war with the Martian invaders had not helped a bit. He worked 16 hour days regularly, avoiding thinking too much about the pain gnawing away at his insides. "Then, please... do it. I'll give you anything."
"Bruce told me a bit about you, General. About how much you hated the relationship he had with your daughter... If I do this, you have to promise you'll never stand in their way again."
"The Barrier won't let them be together."
"It's coming down, eventually. Swear it to me or I'll leave her here, just as she is."
Ross stared into the redhaired woman's face, searching for any sign of a bluff. He saw none. "Damnit, fine. Whatever my daughter wants when she awakens is fine by me."
Shevaun smiled warmly. "Good. Then get ready -- because Betty Ross Banner is about to come back."
Avalon
"Fancy seeing you here," Dane Whitman said, hovering above the crystal-clear waters of Avalon. He was dressed like a medieval knight, though his face was unadorned. "What do you need?"
The Hulk ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair, which he'd pulled loose and free. "The Maestro. Can you tell me where he is... Or if Delphi's right about me?"
"Delphi is peering into these waters, Bruce. The waters that link all of creation. What she's seeing is the most likely future, not the definite one."
"So how do I avoid it? Is finding the Maestro and defeating him enough?"
Dane looked sympathetic. There had been plenty of times in his own life that he'd felt cursed, both literally and figuratively, so he knew where Bruce was coming from and understood the desperation in him. "It couldn't hurt... but no, I don't think it's enough. You really need to exorcise the monster, Bruce. Not embrace it or integrate it, but cast it out. That's what I would do, anyway."
Bruce looked thoughtful. "Could you do that?"
"I..." Dane hesitated. "I'm still new to this. I could try but...."
"Then do it!"
"Bruce, I'm not sure--"
"You brought it up, Dane." The Hulk held his oversized hands out and stared down at them. "I don't want to hurt Molly the way I hurt Betty. I'm tired of being scared of losing control. Take that part of me out, damnit... I don't want it. I don't need it. Whatever part of me that becomes the Maestro... kill it!"
Dane looked deep into Bruce's eyes and felt the anguish within the man before him. "I'll do my best, Bruce. I really will." He raised his sword, drawing it from the scabbard at his waist. It wasn't real, of course, but it was a representation of Dane's will and power. "I'll push this into your soul and charge it to find the part of you that becomes the Maestro -- and remove it forever. Is this what you wish, no matter what may come of this?"
"It can't be any worse than what the Maestro has to offer, Dane."
The Lord of the Lake nodded and thrust the sword forward. It pierced the emerald hide easily, sinking into the soul of Robert Bruce Banner. It found the arrogance, the pain, the self-denial, the hidden rage... all the things that would eventually create the Maestro.
And it sliced them to bits.
The Hulk howled like a wounded dog, baying at the sky. Dane hesitated and then began withdrawing the weapon. It dripped with green blood and the Hulk clutched at his wound.
The Professor felt his intelligence slipping away as his consciousness began to disassemble, becoming something far less than before.
In his head, he saw Joe Fixit... as he had looked in a recent dream. And Joe's words echoed back to him.
"Ask yourself this, pal... Which Hulk do you think it was that became the Maestro? The savage one? Please. Devil? Nope. Me? C'mon... that kind of act ain't quite my style. But the Professor... he's the one who could plan all that. Rationalize it. He's the one you have to worry about."
The Hulk ceased his baying, panting heavily on the green grass of Avalon.
"Bruce? How do you feel?"
"Hhh." The Hulk raised his
head and Dane saw only pain and fury in his eyes.
"Hhhhulk. Hulk...
SMASH!!!"
Deep within the fragile, twisted psyche of the Hulk, Joe Fixit smiled to himself.
"Told ya so."
TO BE CONCLUDED
Next Issue: "Saving Beauty from the Beast" part 4 of 4! The Savage Hulk is back and he's about to go toe-to-toe with the Maestro!
Author's Notes
Hope you're enjoying the current storyline -- it's come a bit slower than most of my works, as I've recently moved and work has been a bear. Still, it's fun to come back to these characters, whom I love a lot. Peter David's run on the Hulk remains a huge inspiration for me and I can't wait to see what he does when he comes back to the character for a six-issue miniseries. Hopefully, Marvel will wise up and put him back on the main title, so we can dispense with the overly elongated Bruce Jones storylines.
Which brings up another point I wanted to discuss: Hulk continuity. For the basis of the Pendragons universe, every single word written by Peter David is gospel. I also consider most of what Paul Jenkins did to be true, though not all of it. I liked his take on the various personalities, though. Nothing Bruce Jones has done counts here, so Betty's resurrection during the course of Jones' run won't happen the same way here.
Next issue will wrap up the first arc and then we'll go in some fun -- and unexpected, I hope -- directions. The next storyline is called "A Walk Amongst the Dead." Make of that what you will.
Keep In Touch,
Barry
