Ready, Fire, Aim!

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

The feeling in his gut only grew more intense as they exited the plane, making the Other Guy all the more present in his mind. It could just be the Other Guy reacting to the storm, like how an animal's instinct will make it behave erratically before a tornado, but that had never been the case with the beast before now...

 

He offered Tony a grunt to acknowledge that he'd heard, but not much else. His mind was otherwise preoccupied.

 

Bruce shifted his gaze on either side of them, looking to make sure no one was ready to attack them from behind a corner or something else melodramatic. No one was there, but he still checked again just to be sure. To say that he was feeling a bit on edge would have been an understatement.

 

"I think something's wrong," he blurted. "I don't know, it just feels like we're being watched... Are you sure that no-one could've tracked us down here?"

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony gazed about, trying to see just what Bruce was freaking out about. However, his questions were answered when the man asked him about their surrounding. "I don't think so, but if its making you nervous.." He stood back, lifting a hand towards the plane. There was a rattling sound, followed by his metal glove shooting out of the plane and sliding over his hand. The other pieces quickly followed, each clicking into their respective places. He had practiced, so he was able to propel himself into the air for a flip in time for the back to hit and lock into place before he landed on his feet.

 

"Never can be too sure," he said with a grin.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce stared wide-eyed for a moment, not really having seen Tony's new suit in action before now, well, not as himself, at least. He knew that Tony had been working on some new tricks with his armor but...

 

The gnawing presence brought his attention back to the gloomy sky overhead, lightning flashing and rain pouring down on them. Standing around in this downpour and catching a cold wasn't going to help either of them, so he swallowed down his anxiety and quickly moved from the plane to the ground below.

 

"Always nice this time of year, huh?" he grumbled just loud enough for the suits sensors to pick up over the rumbling. The wind was throwing his soaked curls around his head as he moved toward the protection of a sort of patio nearby.

Edited May 10, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Feeling pride at Bruce's awed gaze, Tony smirked and let the face plate snap shut to keep the rain out. "Yeah, just hope I don't get electrocuted," he chuckled, though he did glance warily at the impending rain clouds. Wouldn't that just be his luck?

 

He followed Bruce quickly, keeping an eye out for trouble in respect of his friend's concern. He wasn't sure that he believed they were being stalked, but nonetheless he wanted to appease the doctor's anxiety. "Well, at least anyone following us will have a hard time tracking through a rain storm. That's just the universe on our side, pal."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce raised a mental brow at Tony's optimistic view of their situation. Maybe he hasn't really grasped the seriousness of the situation yet, what life on the run entails for him.

 

But he didn't want to dampen the mood anymore than it already was (Was that a pun, Bruce? You really have been hanging out with Tony too long...), so instead asks, "So what now? You wouldn't happen to have a car ready to take us to this dream house of yours, by chance, would you?" He nearly had to yell over the massive clap of thunder that appeared mid-sentence.

 

Jeeze, you'd think having fought with the god of thunder some months ago, that the guy could ease up of the downpour a bit... he thought irritably.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was kept mostly dry with his suit, though he did feel bad that his companion was thoroughly saturated. "Well, yes and no. No, I don't have a car, but I know how to hotwire one," he said, gesturing to an old van next to the building.

 

He was grinning under the mask, because wasn't this just their luck. After a moment, he realized that the porch they were standing under was a shop. "Hmm.. I'll be right back. Don't you go getting any prettier," he jibed, then wandered into the shop.

 

Five minutes later he emerged, keys in his hand. "Apparently, it doesn't take much to buy someone's silence and a car," he chuckled, tossing the keys to him.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's hand shot up reflexively, catching the keys with a bit more coordination than he usually had, possibly from being so on edge. He gave Tony a small smirk. You can always count on Tony "Money bags" Stark to come through when you need him.

 

He made his way over to the van, running through the downpour while Tony followed behind. The water caused him to fumble a bit with the slippery metal, but he managed to unlock the doors and step inside. He quickly started it and flicked on the heater in an attempt to dry off some.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony climbed in the back where there was plenty of space for his suit. "Oh my god, there's shag carpeting back here. Kill me Bruce," he moaned melodramatically, flopping on his back in the the center of the van.

 

It took him a moment, but he soon realized that Bruce didn't know where he was going. Sitting up, he clicked a button on his suit and a tiny slot popped off and into his hand. With a few quick pulls it expanded into one of his holographic screens, which he handed to Bruce as a map materialized on it. "Go the speed limit young man."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce chuckled, replying good-heartedly, "Yes ma'am, I promise!" A twinge of sadness tried to creep up from inside, but he quickly swallowed down the memory of his mother. Now was not the time to focus on long-repressed memories. He was careful not to let the expression come through.

 

He glanced at Tony in the back. "Hey, try not to move around so much, huh? Your suit weighs a crap-ton, and this van isn't exactly the most high-tech. You're jostling is making the whole car move!" he mocked, although it really was a problem. The van's suspension wasn't all that great, so maintaining balance was a bit difficult. "I think I know why you got it for so cheap..."

 

He glanced at the holographic map every few minutes, having never been to the country before, and having no clue where to go. It only took about 15 minutes to reach the Tony's house, for which he was grateful. He was dying to get inside and find a change of clothes!

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony remained still, spread-eagled in the center of the van. "It's actually only 250 pounds," he pointed out, his face plate up. Apparently this was perfectly comfortable, because he didn't move until the van stopped.

 

Sitting up, he got out of the van and walked casually to his house. Naturally it opened up at voice recognition, allowing them both inside. It was fairly modern, though it had a sort of cabin feel to it. Moving over to a corner, the back of the IronMan suit opened and Tony simply stepped out, watching it close back up. "I think I have food.."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

The house was nice, a lot more comfortable than Bruce had anticipated. It's not that the Stark tower wasn't comfy, but sometimes the modernness of it all made him crave for something simpler. This place seemed to have a nice balance to it. 'This is definitely going to be the nicest place he'd ever lived in on the run,' he thought absently.

 

When he heard Tony's voice trail off he was confused, and was about to ask why when he saw what the billionaire was looking at. There were a handful of Ross' soldiers standing in front of them, all guns trained on himself. He stood completely still, so as not to aggravate any of their itchy fingers.

 

Tony's voice echoed in his head, "Only Pepper knows about it," and his heart sank in his chest. There was only one way that Ross could have known they were coming here, and that's if they'd gotten to Pepper first. They must've already gotten the intell long before they had come to the tower, anticipating where they would run to. 'Smart,' Bruce thought, 'get us off of American soil and away from the general populace before taking us out.'

 

They must've been tracked here since they landed...

 

((I hope you don't mind that I start dialing up the action a bit ^^))

Edited May 10, 2013 by lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Don't mind))

 

Tony swore and cursed himself in his head. Why had he been so predictable? Of course they would know about his house! He had made an impusluve move as usual and as a result someone would get hurt.

 

"Ross!" He snapped, moving to stand in front of Bruce. "Get the out of my house. You're not taking Bruce," he growled, his faceplate slamming shut. It was clear he meant business, and he would use himself as a shield before they got to Bruce.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

One of the monitors on the wall in front of them flickered on, revealing Ross' toothy grin. He wasn't really here, he reasoned. How could he be? Stark's jet must've been faster than anything the military had access to, now that Tony wasn't supplying them weapons or tech anymore. He must've sent a group of handpicked soldiers ahead to catch us off guard, while he stayed behind with the rest of the Hulkbuster unit so we wouldn't be suspicious. Ross had definitely learned from his mistakes over the years.

 

The Other Guy was reeking havoc is his mind, seeing Ross' ugly face in front of them, and he could feel a bead of sweat run down his temple as he struggled for control. If he could just hold on long enough for Tony to get his suit back on...

 

He looked at Tony, knowing that he would understand, and hoped that he could hold out long enough without getting shot first.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((Oops, I forgot he took the suit off. Forget I said anything about the face plate. Also, we can alternate playing parts))

 

Tony started inching toward his suit, that is, until about thirty safeties were clicked off guns. "Really? You would kill one of the most famous men on earth? How do you explain that one?" He asked incredulously.

 

"I don't have to. The people will hear a tragic story, about how the beast turned on IronMan and ripped him apart. We couldn't save him in time," Ross cackled. Oh . "Hey uh, Bruce. If you code green.. Let me know," Tony said, and it was the only warning he gave before summoning his suit. The pieces flew at him and assembled in a blur as the soldiers opened fire.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

If the sound of gunfire itself wasn't enough to make him Hulk-out, the bullet that pierced his shoulder certainly was. He only had enough time to bring his fingers to the wound before he felt his body start to convulse, sickly and green. He dropped to his knees, his bones searing and his head pounding in agony.

 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the suit fully encompass Tony, and he stopped fighting the raging presence in his mind, knowing that Tony would be able to get out of harms way. He by no means was able to control the transformation, despite what Tony thought, but he was able to plant an idea into the Other Guy's feeble mind before he sunk completely under the monster's weight, which sort of helped to point him in the right direction.

 

He was lost in agony, all too aware of the guttural, animalistic noises that escaped from his throat. It had been too long since he'd let him come out, and it made the transformation all that much more painful.

 

 

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Sir, you are bl- "Not now Jarv," Tony winced, lunging into the mass of soldiers. If he killed anyone he would be seen as a criminal, plus these men had no choice. "Flares!" He barked, blinding soldiers as the bright lights shot out of dispensers on his hips.

 

He sent out a left hook to one, kicking another as he tried to fight them back. He avoided using his guns or repulsors, knowing that behind him the Jolly Green Giant was about to make an appearance.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Clothes ripping and a guttural roar were the last things that Bruce was conscience of before the beast took over. The roar itself shattered many of the windows and glass appliances in the house. Soldiers dropped to their knees, holding their heads in their hands.

 

He saw the soldier's all too familiar black and green uniforms, and he went into a blind rage, paying the billionaire next to him no mind as he charged ahead, grabbing soldiers by their limbs and throwing them haphazardly to the side, as if they were ragdolls.

 

His massive fists hit the ground, creating massive depressions in the dark wood, as he released another wail, which was loud enough to crack the plasma screen, causing Ross' face to distort until it finally went black.

 

Nearly all the soldiers were incapacitated, either by busted ear drums, broken bones and other various internal organs, or blinded by flares. But the Hulk wasn't finished. He snarled, jumping up (in the process creating his very own skylight) and escaped into the tropical forest around them. Flocks of birds flew startled from the line of broken trees that the Hulk raged through, flew from the line of destruction that he caused.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony didn't care about the house, he was concerned that Bruce would feel guilty about the dead soldiers. That, and he was currently rampaging through the forest. Flying up through the hole, he quickly shot after the Hulk and slowed as he approached. "Hey, big guy! Take it easy! They're all gone now," he called, making no move to get in his way but instead flying along beside him. There was a chance that the giant would recognize him from New York. There was also a chance that he wouldn't care and try to rip him in two.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

The Hulk continued to smash through various trees around him, sometimes focusing in on one free in particular, and reducing it to splinters, before moving along. And he would've flicked away the bothersome, shiny metal thing flying by him, if the sight of it hadn't cause something to tickle the back of his head. He stopped, squinting at the red and gold metal, gears slowly trying to clunk together and remember where he'd seen him before.

 

"Tin Man?" he grunted, an expression of utter confusion on his face. He looked like a massive, green gorilla that had just realized that someone had replaced the food in his hand with a stick, which was oddly hilarious despite the fact that the Hulk could rip someone to shreds with but a flick of his wrist. He dropped the small banana tree he'd been holding to get a better look at the suit, reaching out as if to pick up the metal with his hands and "exam" it.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony ducked and dodged to avoid getting clobbered with trees, stopping and hovering in middair as the Hulk did. Apparently someone upstairs liked him, because Mean and Green didn't use him as a tooth pick.

 

"Yeah, it's me. Uh.. Tin man. I'm here to help you," he promised, eyes widening as two large hands reached for him. He knew better than to move or block it though, so he allowed the large fists to pull him out of the air. He turned his jets off too, just so that he didn't burn the big guy.

 

Sliding his face plate up, Tony grinned at the Hulk. "Hey buddy. You didn't think I'd leave you all alone, did you?"

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

He tried to be somewhat careful while holding it, if for nothing else because he was getting a bit tired and the thing hadn't shot at him yet. When Tony moved his face plate, he jumped a bit, startled to see a man inside the suit.

 

His thick eyebrows stitched themselves together, not understanding why the tickling in the back of his head refused to stop. He brought a hand to his head, leaving Tony alone for the moment, while he grunted, "Stop it!" seemingly into thin air.

 

The Other Guy punched the a nearby tree in frustration as the tingling intensified. He turned to Tony, rage and irritation present on his face. "Tin Man, make it STOP!" he snarled.

 

He didn't realize it was Banner deep inside him causing it, as the only time Banner ever spoke was after either an intense battle when the beast was drained, or after weeks of the Other Guy being control, having had to save his strength and manifest himself to the beast as a voice, rather than just an itch he couldn't scratch.

 

He growled, thrashing his arms around, as if destroying foliage would help ease the presence from his mind.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was relieved when the Hulk didn't crush him like a soda can. He nearly fell flat on his back when in turn the big guy let go, but luckily his reverse thrusters kicked into action just in time and he could float back up into the air.

 

"Stop what?" He asked warily, not understanding. He only had a moment's notice before he had to duck, avoiding beheading by the way of a tree projectile. This was dangerous territory, the Hulk being mad and all. "Bruce..?" He asked hesitantly, making the connection. The doctor must have been in there, trying to get control again. "It's going to be alright big guy," he said uneasily, unsure of what to say. His side was starting to ache more than unpleasantly, and he could feel blood trickling down his side. Maybe it was more than a graze..

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

He reared his head at the mention of Bruce's name, momentarily stopping his chaotic rampage. "Know Banner?" he grunted. Nearly everyone who knew Banner wanted both him and the Other Guy dead, yet so far the man in the red and gold suit hasn't tried anything.

 

A flash of something, almost too quick for him to see, flickered from the depths of his mind. It was the metal man, his face lit up with laughter, another of him sprawled across a lab table, having passed out from exhaustion all from Banner's eyes. Another memory flickered in his head, although this one his own, of the metal man falling from the sky, then in his arms before he threw him to the ground.

 

"Friend of Banner?" he asked, catching on a little that he wasn't really a threat.

 

 

((sorry if the Hulk-speak is annoying! I know that some people have a problem with it, but I actually prefer this version to the smarter version of him in the comics.))

[Sweet_Wyvern]

((No no! I love Hulk's grammar I've played Bruce many times, I know how it is. ))

 

Tony landed, finally grasping how tall the Hulk actually was. The abrupt stop was unsettling, but he didn't run away, and nor did he power up any defenses. He trusted him, and he trusted Bruce. "Yes, I know Bruce," he said slowly, making no sudden movements. It was like getting familiar with a new dog.

 

Seeing his chance, he took it. "Yes! Yes, Banner and I are friends. Buddies. Science Bros. I'm trying to help you guys get away from Ross," he tried to explain, pointing back towards the little cabin.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

He snarled at the mention of Ross' name, looking around and roaring into the air as if to try and frighten the general away. When he realized no one was there but Tony, he settled back down.

 

He towered over the other man, putting two and two together when he saw Tony's enthusiasm when he spoke of Bruce. "Tin Man wants Banner back..?" he asked solemnly.

 

It seemed like no one ever wanted him. Despite the fact that everyone assumed him to be some mindless beast who could only feel blind rage, the Hulk was actually able to feel and think, if only on a limited spectrum. Everyone blamed him for everything, and despised his very existence, especially Banner.

 

But this man seemed different. He didn't seem to want him to leave. But he asked anyway, considering that they always wanted Banner over him, unless they wanted something smashed (which he loved, but stil...). He was just the monster to them.