Earth-717: Hulk Vol 2

Chapter 12: Looking In

As Lucy sipped down the last of the water in her paper cup, one of the doctors walked into the room. Nodding at her, the doctor took the empty cup from her hand and tossed it in the waste bin for her. He then pulled up a chair and sat down, with a dejected look on his face. Lucy raised her eyebrows as he relayed to her the news that she had hoped never to hear.

Once he was done, the doctor apologized for her loss before leaving. Tears in her eyes, Lucy looked over at the picture that she had on her bedside table. She then cried herself to sleep.

She would not wake up again.

Pressing in the number combination on the security panel, one of the Ravencroft guards watched as the barred door slid to the side to admit him entrance to the cell block. Strolling inside, he twirled his baton with his left hand while whistling to himself. Scratching the side of his head with his free hand, he then looked over at the cells that were housing the new arrivals.

There were three cells, each one having been specially designed for their occupant. Looking inside the first cell, he saw a man with glowing, green skin and a hazmat suit sitting on a bench inside of a containment cube. He was deep in contemplation, and did not seem particularly perturbed by his situation. The guard shrugged and moved to the next door.

Looking inside the second cell, the guard saw a cylindrical, airtight confinement that was housing a woman made of green gas. She was repeatedly slamming herself against the transparent wall of her container, each time exploding into a misty cloud before reforming into her standard feminine form.

Clicking his tongue, the guard then looked inside the third and final cell. Inside he saw a man with green skin and an elongated forehead. He was wearing a standard prison jumpsuit, and had a leg brace on his right leg. He was sitting on the floor, huddled in the back corner, and was rocking himself back and forth.

Satisfied with what he saw, the guard yawned before turning around and leaving the cell block. He set the barred door in place before turning off the lights.

At the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, a man walked up to the check-in desk. One of the female clerks at the desk smiled at him as he approached her. He was wearing an impeccable business suit, and was carrying both a briefcase and a luggage bag with him. She verified his identity information via his driver's license and credit card before handing him a key to his room.

"I hope you have a fantastic stay at the Luxor, Mister Hoskins. Do you require any assistance with your luggage?"

"No, thank you," answered the man, with a drawl American accent. "I'm all set."

"Excellent. Please feel free to call us here at the front desk if you require anything at all during your stay."

"Will do, ma'am. Much obliged."

The man turned away, and started to walk through the gaming floor that led to the hotel elevators. Once he was inside of his room, he went to the bathroom and opened the suitcase, revealing a wide variety of masks and make-up products.

"Come in."

Bruce and Betty walked into the office, both of them visibly apprehensive about what they were about to do. Inside the office was a single desk, which Fury was sitting behind, along with two chairs on the opposite side. A beige file folder was on the desk. Fury gestured towards the seats, and Bruce and Betty sat down.

Fury put his hands together on the desk before he started speaking.

"I'm Nick Fury. Director of SHIELD."

"We know who you are," said Betty.

"I wanted to . . . . reintroduce myself. I felt it was appropriate given that I'd like this to be a new chapter in our relationship. Fresh start."

Bruce sighed, unsure of what to say.

"After all your people have done to us?" asked Betty.

"Doctor Ross, I want you to know that recent events have caused me to reconsider my approach to this situation. Not just yours. I think SHIELD has been mishandling how we deal with metahumans, but . . . . I want you to know that I didn't know about Brian Banner. I didn't make that decision. I didn't make the decision to work with Captain Talbot, or to attack the Baxter Building. A lot of things recently haven't been my decision."

"Why is that?"

"I have people I answer to. World Security Council. But . . . . that relationship has also changed. Came across a flash drive at the base. Used it to make recordings of the security camera footage. I have the whole ordeal on tape. They were the ones who put General Ryker in charge, and . . . ."

Fury paused before he finished his sentence.

". . . . and I threatened to make it all public if I wasn't given full, non-conditional control of SHIELD. They . . . . eventually agreed. Not the only thing I found on that flash drive. Also used the data that Doctor Sterns had on it to find his stealth craft. We're stripping it for parts now. Agent Fitz thinks that he might be able to reverse-engineer Sterns' invisibility technology."

"So what happens now?"

"Now, you have a choice. I have two potential solutions to our current dilemma. Option one. You two walk out that door, right now, and you go on with your lives. SHIELD, and everyone working under my command, will never come after you again. We will never contact you. We will never try to find you. Our relationship ends. Forever."

Bruce blinked as he looked over at Betty before returning his gaze to Fury.

"And what's option two?" asked Bruce.

"We work together," answered Fury. "I saw what you did as the Hulk in there. You saved lives. Not just your own, or Doctor Ross. You saved my agents. My people. You showed control, and I think that can be used."

Bruce scowled.

"As a weapon?"

"As a hero."

Bruce blinked again.

"There are other heroes out there. The Fantastic Four, Iron Maiden . . . . some others who aren't as public. The world's changing fast, Doctor Banner, and I think you could be one of the people to help us get there. This is my offer. You work with us, as a consultant. We'll provide a safe-house for yourself and Doctor Ross. And . . . ."

Fury reached for the file folder. Opening it, he picked up a small, white identification card that was inside.

"I lost one of my best agents in this. Agent Blake. I've already promoted someone else to his position, but . . . . I still have a slot open."

He then turned to Betty and handed her the card. She took it and looked at the front.

"Elizabeth Ross. Agent Twenty-Nine. SHIELD Special Service. Rank: Science Officer."

She looked down at the card for a few seconds before looking up at Fury.

"Position's yours, if you want it. You would be an official liaison to our new asset, Doctor Banner, and I suspect that your scientific expertise and combat ability would be of great value to this organization."

Bruce smiled at Betty, happy to know that the woman he loved was being recognized so highly for her achievements. Betty returned the smile, before reaching out and grabbing his hand.

"In the interest of full disclosure, I want to let you know a couple more things before you decide. We've acquired your father's carcass. Agent Simmons wants to use it. Harvest it. She believes that she may still be able to construct the cure using it . . . . as long as she can get a genetic sample from you. Just a sample, and it's your decision."

Bruce looked down before nodding.

"Maybe something good can come of this after all," he said.

"One question," said Betty.

Fury nodded.

"What happens to Katherine Waynesboro?"

"Miss Waynesboro broke operating protocol," said Fury. "She leaked classified information to third parties, and violated the oath she swore when she joined this organization."

Betty frowned.

"And I reinstated her just before you got here."

"What?"

"What she did is one of the single most courageous actions that I've ever seen during my career. I trust Miss Waynesboro now more than ever, because I know that she values doing what's right above blind loyalty to whoever happens to be in charge. That's the principle that SHIELD was founded on, and it's a principle that I hope this organization can reacquire. So . . . . what's your decision?"

Betty smiled, before looking over at Bruce.

"Your call."

Bruce bit the inside of his lip as he squeezed Betty's hand.

"No more running," he said. "No more hiding."

A single tear fell out of the corner of Betty's eye. Bruce turned back to Fury.

"Option two."

Fury held out his hand.

"Welcome to SHIELD."

Bruce shook Fury's hand as Betty laughed through a handful of tears, her cheeks turning bright red. She too shook Fury's hand as he smiled at her.

"Before you go, there's something you might be able to help me with."

"What's that?" asked Bruce.

"My second-in-command, Maria Hill, was on an assignment for me over the past few weeks. She found something in the Arctic Circle and brought it back here. Science Team is looking at it now, and they requested that if you accepted my offer, that you provide them with some aid."

"What did they find?" asked Betty.

Fury paused before answering.

"Captain America."

Both Bruce and Betty widened their eyes upon hearing Fury's answer.

"And he's alive."

THE END

The Hulk Will Return

Epilogue

A while later, Fury was alone in his office. Turning on his holographic display screen, he created a new project file. He typed in some commands and set the parameters for the project. As he was about to finish the creation process, the interface asked him to input a name for the project. Fury took in a deep breath before typing one in.

THE INITIATIVE.

He then made three files inside of the project panel, taking data from SHIELD's databases to create them. The first one was blue, the second one was red, and the third one was green.

STEVE ROGERS – CAPTAIN AMERICA.

TASHA STARK – IRON MAIDEN.

BRUCE BANNER – THE HULK.

Fury sat back in his chair and stroked his chin as he looked over the files.