Threatened and finally delivered. Rated MA, owned by Marvel
**
Bruce Banner looked at the bowl that was slid in front of him, “What is this?”
“Fish!” barked the little Asian man in stunted English who ran the pop-up cart.
“I asked for a Coke.” said Bruce as he sniffed the bowl and slid it back. The cook shrugged and returned to his grill. Bruce looked around at the bustling Tokyo street. It was hypnotic watching the city of over thirteen million people surge. Bruce hefted his backpack and stepped into the human sea.
It had been an interesting few months*; which had led him to Japan. Obadiah Stane had bought parts from The Hand for his part in building the new armour for Alastair Smythe aka Spider-Slayer. Smythe was out of the picture, Doom had been warned, Stane had gone to ground, but Bruce was going to shut down whatever chop shop The Hand were running. Plus he wanted to climb Mount Fuji so it was a win-win. Bruce glanced up and caught images of the George Washington Bridge collapsing.
“That’s not good.” Bruce pushed his glasses up as the news report continued. There was no sound and minimal subtitles but the general gist was that Thor had blown up the bridge.
“Terrible isn’t it”
Bruce looked to his left to see a man with a big bouffant of black hair, business suit, orange tie and gloves standing next to him. The man smiled.
“Oisha-san* Banner” he bowed slightly. “Welcome to Tokyo!”
“Hi.” replied Bruce noticing several other well dressed men slowly surrounding him “Do I know you?”
“No, but we know you. Matsu'o Tsurayaba. Please, come with me”
“Well, you did say please,” Bruce smiled and followed them to a waiting stretch limousine.
**
“This has poison in it.” Bruce sniffed the champagne flute.
“You are quite correct Oisha-san Banner,” smiled Matsu’o as he beckoned for the glass back. “Merely something to keep you calm, you have a reputation after all.”
“Then you know why I’m here then.”
Matsu’o nodded “Indeed. But we are hoping to…dissuade you, from dismantling our operation.”
“Really? Now I am genuinely intrigued.” Bruce settled back into his seat ignoring the well dressed goons who were glaring at him. Bruce looked out the window as Tokyo rushed by.
**
Bruce stood there arms spread as ninja in red patted him down for weapons. Bruce turned to Matsu’o with a puzzled look on his face.
“Does he not know who I am?” asked Bruce as the ninja continued to manhandle him before stepping in behind him.
“Tracking devices, signal devices,” said Matsu’o “You people have a tendency to call in your friends, like Spider-Man did with you against Smythe.”
“Honestly, that was pure serendipity,” replied Bruce as he followed them down the corridor taking in his surroundings. “I leapt off that ferry with no specific direction in mind. I just happened to crash through the roof to give Spider-Man a timely hand.”
“With my own previous encounters with a certain team of mutants…”
“The X-Men?”
“Correct Oisha-san Banner, but that is a story for another time, but as I was saying we cannot be too careful.” Matsu’o stopped at a large door guarded by two more red ninja each holding a gun that would make Cable blush. He put his hand on a scanner and waited for it to verify his identity.
“Pretty high tech” noted Bruce, reasonably impressed with the device.
“People often just think of The Hand as a gang of killers, hired goons.” Matsu’o pressed in a nine digit code and the door hissed “We are, but the amount we are paid for assassinations is pittance! We would’ve been out of business centuries ago if we didn’t diversify. This is but one arm of our diversification.”
Matsu’o led Bruce into a lab. Bruce whistled in appreciation. A large functioning cybernetics division working on several projects; some he recognised, some he quickly worked out and some he was curious about.
“You have a top quality facility,” commented Bruce as he placed his glasses in shirt pocket. “But you are an evil organisation that kills people, causes misery and has stolen at least two of my ideas.”
“You are about to make a mistake Oisha-san Banner,” warned Matsu’o taking a step back. “That is if you are about to do what I think you’re about to do.”
Bruce smiled “Oh I’m about too. Get ready for Hulk s…”
“Sleep!” The red ninja stepped up and injected two needles into Bruce’s neck. He whirled around and grabbed the hood tearing it off his head.
“You?” gasped Bruce as his muscles began to convulse and spasm and he collapsed on the floor like an electrified fish on the dock.
“Greetings comrade” growled Omega Red.
“You have been injected with weaponised cyclobenzaprine*,” said Matsu’o “A muscle relaxant we’ve been working on to revolutionise surgery; to help people…for a profit of course. You have been given a dose that would keep twenty men paralysed for hours. Considering your unique abilities Oisha-san, it will merely delay your change into your green alter ego. In that time though, it will be enough for Omega Red to wrap his tendrils around your neck and pull your head from your body.”
To be continued…
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