Chapter 2: Professor? No, Accountant Hulk.
I clenched my massive fists, feeling the ground tremble beneath me. Despite the transformation, my mind remained intact.
"YOU'RE WEAK! LET ME OUT!"
"Interesting. You're maintaining control. That's... unusual."
"Unusual or not, he will bring the whole sanctum down! Do something, Strange!" Wong urged.
Dr. Strange extended his hands, forming intricate symbols in the air. "If I can isolate the Hulk's core, I might be able to stabilise this transformation. But it won't be pleasant."
"Great," I grumbled.
Golden tendrils of energy lashed out from Dr. Strange's spell, wrapping around my arms and chest. The Hulk roared in fury, his voice reverberating through my skull. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!"
The tendrils tightened, forcing me to the ground. My massive knees cracked the tiled floor beneath me as the spell's energy surged through my body.
"Hold still!" Strange commanded, his voice strained. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he poured more energy into the spell.
"I AM TRYING!" I shouted.
The struggle inside my mind reached a new level. The Hulk's presence was overwhelming. But then, something unexpected happened—a flicker of understanding.
Beneath the rage, I felt the Hulk's pain, his fear. He wasn't just a monster but a living being, a child.
"Listen to me!" I shouted. I know quite a bit about you, and I understand your concern, but I finally have this opportunity. Please let me have it."
The Hulk hesitated. "HULK DOES NOT GIVE MUCH OF A FUCK! BUT HULK CAN'T DO ANYTHING NOW! BUT LATER, HULK IS GOING TO SMASH YOU!" His growl softened into something that resembled a sigh.
The yellow tendrils around me loosened, their glow fading as Dr Strange stopped the spell.
"You're in control?" he asked, skeptical.
I nodded, rising to my full height. "For now."
Wong looked between me and Strange. "This is unusual, all right. He's not just the Hulk or Bruce Banner—he's something... new."
As they began discussing, I glanced at my massive green hands again. Suddenly, I noticed a rapid decrease in height. My hands were now returning to their normal colour, and my pants had turned into torn shorts, somehow still keeping their structure.
"I need some clothes."
Wong sighed, rubbing his temples. "Clothes. Of course. Just another normal request when dealing with a walking tragedy."
Dr. Strange rolled his eyes but flicked his wrist, summoning a swirling portal. "There's a shop around the corner. Wong, grab something... durable."
"Why me? You're the one who insists on getting involved with these messes."
"I'm entrusting you with a responsibility, that's all," Strange replied with a smirk.
As Wong begrudgingly stepped through the portal, I looked down at myself, feeling utterly uncovered. My dignity was now reduced to dust. "Thanks, I guess," I muttered, trying not to sound too bitter.
The portal shimmered, and Wong stepped back through, holding a bundle of clothes. "Here. Don't say I never did anything for you."
I took the clothes gratefully, stepping behind a nearby curtain to change. They weren't exactly fashionable—plain T-shirts and sweatpants—but mercifully intact.
"Wait a minute, let me cast a spell on that for you, make sure that your 'dignity' stays safe." He put some eldritch symbols on them, which disappeared after a moment.
"It's a bit tough to break that, make sure you don't find anybody who can," Dr. Strange assured me, along with a light warning.
"Fantastic, man, you guys should be some type of scientist but for magic people," I muttered, pulling at the now magically enhanced shirt.
"Time to find your old pal," Strange said.
He swirled his fingers, opened another portal, and stepped inside. "Tony Stark, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, I need you to come with me."
Tony Stark, looked flabbergasted, in absolute shock. There are no words on my keyboard- I mean my dictionary to describe that, that doesn't say much but it's ok.
Strange looked at Tony's wife, Pepper, who was beside him and congratulated them. "Oh, by the way, congratulations on the wedding."
"Are you handing out invitations to something?" Tony asked Strange.
"We need your help. It is not an understatement to say that the universe's fate is at stake."
*CUT*
Back at the sanctum, after Tony reunited with Banner, but not really.
"At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing, then BOOM, the Big Bang sent six elemental crystals across the universe, scattering them," Wong explained.
Wong continued, "The stones each represent a fundamental aspect of the universe: the power stone, the mind stone, the reality stone, the space stone, the soul stone," as Dr. Strange finished Wong's sentence, "And the time stone." He opened the Eye Of Agamotto.
"Get this, Tony. Thanos, is a monster, a smart monster, he kills and wipes out half the planet, and he repeats this for thousands of planets, he already has two stones, that makes him the most powerful being in the universe, if he gets all of them, he would go on a universal manslaughter, half of the entire universe gone in a *snap*," I was ready to inform Tony Stark about the danger that Thanos possessed. I just came here but I watched the movie and I know what happened.
"He sent Loki, the attack on New York, that was him." I finished my monologue. Damn, kinda hard to tell all this without seeming like an idiot, or is it just me... probably just me.
I looked at Tony Stark, the look on his face, I couldn't read it but I could guess, he wasn't thrilled, at all. "So, this is it." He pats me on the shoulder.
"So what do we do, shove your limestone or time stone, whatever, down the garbage disposal?" Tony asked Dr. Strange but Wong was quick to answer.
"No, we the sorcerers, swore to protect the time stone."
Then, *BOOM*, there was a loud explosion outside, I knew what it was, it was Ebony Maw and the Cull Obsidian guy whose hand got cut off.
All of us rushed outside to see what was happening. There was chaos in the streets, panic evident in them. Accidents were happening left and right, shit, I narrowly missed a car that almost smashed into me.
The colossal spaceship could be seen from anywhere in the city. I followed the others who were going to the ship, just then, two people stepped out of the spaceship.
"Hear me and rejoice, you are about to die in the hands of the children of Thanos," Ebony continued, "Be grateful that your insignificant lives are now contributing to-" He was cut off by Tony.
"I'm sorry but Earth is closed for today, so pack your bags and GET OUTTA HERE." He warned them both.
"Stone bearer, does he speak for you?" Ebony asked Doc.
"No, I certainly speak for myself." He responded as another set of orange energy circles full of runes floated above his palms. Following his lead, Wong also got ready.
"He means, 'Get lost, Voldemort.'," Tony spoke out another cheeky remark.
"Oh, he merely exhausts me, take them out, and bring me the stone," Ebony told Cull. As Cull began walking towards us, Tony signalled me to transform. "Banner, want a piece?"
"No, not really, I would prefer not to, but alright," I told him. "Yeah, that's right, it's been a long time, those guys are just done."
I tried to transform, "I WON'T COME OUT!" Hulk shouted at me. "Oh, come on!" I pleaded with him. "DO IT YOURSELF, PUSSY!" I don't know what happened but he gave me control over his body. I don't know but I think I'm transforming, I ...slowly felt the familiar surge of power coursing through me. My muscles expanded, and my skin shifted to that unmistakable green hue. The transformation wasn't as chaotic as before—it was deliberate, and controlled.
The sheer weight of his power was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.
"Finally," I muttered, looking down at my massive hands.
Ebony Maw paused mid-air, his head tilting slightly. "Ah, the beast emerges," he said with a sneer. "And yet... there's something different about you."
"You talk too much," I growled. I don't know why but I'm deeply furious.
Cull Obsidian, who had been charging at me again, hesitated for just a fraction of a second. That was all I needed. I leapt into the air with tremendous speed, landing a devastating punch on his jaw. The impact created a shockwave, sending him flying into a building that promptly collapsed around him. "RAHH!" I roared, what the hell is happening?
"Okay, I'm impressed," Tony Stark said as he tapped his arc reactor, his nanotech suit enveloping him as he emerged a shield. He popped out some energy blasters as he blasted them at Ebony.
Ebony Maw effortlessly deflected Tony's energy blasts with a casual wave of his hand, redirecting the beams into nearby cars.
"Impressive toys," Maw sneered. "But futile." Oh my god, all he does is sneer.
As Tony's suit recalibrated, he floated back, staying at a strategic distance. "You know, for a guy who looks like he moonlights as an evil yoga instructor, you're pretty goddamn awful."
I charged toward Cull Obsidian, my massive feet cracking the asphalt beneath me. Cull swung his massive weapon down at me, a hammer-like device. I sidestepped the swing, grabbed the weapon mid-swing, and twisted. The weapon's shaft snapped under the pressure.
I growled, driving my fist into Cull's stomach. The blow sent him skidding backwards, toppling over a row of parked cars. I never fought a day in my life yet I am fighting as if I did my entire life, like instinct.
Cull came back charging at me like an enraged bull. I braced myself and met his charge head-on. Our collision sent a shockwave rippling through the street, shattering nearby windows. Despite his brute strength, I held my ground. This wasn't just the Hulk's power—it was mine now. I grabbed his head and smashed it onto the concrete as I raised my leg and *BAM* *BAM* *BAM* Oh my god, I think I just killed him, yet I don't feel remorse. In fact, I'm a bit more angry.
Meanwhile, Tony, Strange and Wong are in a heated battle with Ebony Maw. Maw's telekinetic attacks were relentless, throwing debris, cars, and anything not bolted down.
Wong created a portal behind Maw, attempting to trap him, but Maw anticipated the move, twisting his body mid-air to evade it. "Your tricks are amusing, but they will not save you," Maw taunted.
"I'm not trying to save me," Wong said with a smirk, closing the portal to reveal a massive piece of debris hurtling toward Maw's exposed back. The impact sent Maw crashing to the ground.
Tony swooped in, firing another barrage of repulsor beams at Maw, who deflected them again. "Seriously, can we talk about how much I hate this guy?" Tony joked.
"Focus, Stark!" Strange snapped, summoning a whip of energy and wrapping it around Maw's wrist, pulling him off balance.
"Banner! Little help over here!" Tony called as Maw sent another wave of telekinetic energy his way, pinning him against a wall.
With a single leap, I closed the distance, landing between Tony and Maw. I slammed my fists into the ground, sending a shockwave that disrupted Maw's concentration, freeing Tony.
In that short moment, I sprung back into action as I rushed at Maw, grabbed him and threw him into the sky, as all three of the others attacked him at the same time, and held him in the sky, I jumped from the ground and as my fist came in contact with his face, *BOOM* He was sent pummeling into the ground, finally finishing him.
Cull Obsidian lay motionless, crushed beneath the rubble from our earlier fight. Ebony Maw, thrashed and beaten, groaned as he tried to climb from the crater we had created. His superiority was gone, as he came to a realisation, that Earth wasn't as weak as he'd anticipated.
"That... was satisfying," I muttered. I walked towards Ebony Maw as I looked him in the eye, "Whatever you may do, Thanos is inevit-" I killed him once and for all, the guy killed too many people and was ready to multiply the amount.
"Damn! Hulk." Tony shouted as he looked at the now gruesome body of Ebony Maw. "It's me, Tony." as I said this Tony's eyes widened.
"Wait, you're in control?" He asked me. I nodded. "When did THAT happen?"