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For a moment Rhodes could only gape at the expression in the Hulk’s unnatural blood red eyes, because it wasn’t rage that he saw but horror. “Big Guy, it’s okay,” he said holding out his hands in the universal sign for ‘I mean no harm.’
“No!” the Hulk screamed. “NO!”
“It’s not real.” Knowing he was taking his life in his hands Rhodes reached up to put a calming hand on the Hulk’s arm. “Whatever you’re seeing it’s not here, not now. It’s the witch. Remember the witch? Don’t know why or how she’s hear, but she’s screw with your head.”
“Witch,” Hulk’s voice dropped into a dangerous rumble as his head came up. He sniffed deeply. “Witch! Out of Hulk’s head!”
“No!” Rhodes shouted as the Hulk lunged at a small cluster of people around a hotdog stand, scattering them like bowling pins. “HULK! STAND DOWN!” he shouted in his best command voice.
The Hulk turned and glanced back at him, his lips curling back dangerously “Shit. For future reference, don’t go military on the Hulk… Assuming I survive,” Rhodes muttered as he eyed the hotdog cart the Hulk was holding over his head. When Hulk threw it, Rhodes dove for the ground but he still took a glancing blow to the shoulder.
“Colonel, your armor’s arrival is imminent,” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced, hijacking Rhodes’ cell phone.
Rhodes rolled into a crouch. “Prep Veronica. I don’t want to escalate this but we don’t always get what we want,” he ordered as he rubbed his shoulder.
“WITCH!” The Hulk snarled as he scanned the crowd. “STOP HIDING!”
“Please stand,” J.A.R.V.I.S. requested.
“Maybe not a great idea,” Rhodes muttered. “I don’t think he likes me right now.”
“The wrist beacons do not provide adequate information for the deployment unless you are standing,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said.
“Forget Veronica, get Betty here,” Rhodes ordered. “If anyone can calm him down, it’s her.”
“Forty minutes given traffic,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied. “I am currently in communication with the police, attempting to procure a helicopter for Dr. Ross’ use.”
“Good thought,” Rhodes caught sight of a woman crouched behind a bench staring intently at the Hulk, a red mist hung around her fingers. “Explaining this is gonna be a bitch,” he sighed as he reached for the handgun at the small of his back.
A second before he pulled the trigger something blurred past him and the gun was ripped from his hand. Rhodes heard the gun bark and felt burning pain as the bullet hit his leg.
The Hulk turned. “WITCH!!” he exclaimed leaping at the woman.
Wanda’s eyes widened. The mist lingering around her hands swirled out to encompass the Hulk.
“OUT OF HULK’S HEAD!!” He bellowed. He grabbed his skull, squeezing painfully. “WITCH!” he snarled and lunged for Wanda.
She stared at her doom in shock. A moment before the Hulk’s massive fist turned her into a smear on the pavement the blur spirited her away. Hulk’s lips twisted furiously. He ripped a mailbox out of the pavement and threw it. Pietro jerked to a stop, fragments of concrete sprayed him and Wanda open multiple small cuts. But the twins weren’t the only ones caught in the hail of sharp-edged debris.
Hulk smirked as he ripped up a parking meter and hurled it like a spear. Pietro grabbed Wanda around the waist, snatching her out of its path. The pole went through the side of a car behind where Wanda had been.
Rhodes took the opportunity to get in position and J.A.R.V.I.S. wrapped War Machine around him and took to the air. His leg burned and his shoe felt squishy from the blood running into it. “J. can you tighten up the fit on my left leg? Tourniquet tight?”
“This is not a recommended medical practice, your armor is NOT a tourniquet,” J.A.R.V.I.S. sighed as he did what Rhodes asked. “I would advise making this quick.”
Rhodes agreed absently as he analyzed the ongoing fight. Pietro’s reflexes were more than good enough to evade Hulk’s impromptu missiles but he was handicapped by his sister’s weight and had a tendency to run in straight lines until forced to dodge. “Inexperienced little shit,” Rhodes muttered. He swooped in closer and lined up a shot only to have the Hulk throw the latest car he’d grabbed at him.
“Damnit! I’m on your side!” Rhodes shouted as he caught the car but the momentum was too much and he slammed into the side of an apartment building, breaking windows and sending a shower of brick-dust flying. The rear end of earlier car stuck out of the front window of the deli where Rhodes and Bruce had gotten sandwiches earlier.
The Hulk snorted, his eyes still a disconcerting shade of red even though the twins had vanished while he and Rhodes had been distracted. “Where’s Betty?” Rhodes asked as he watched the Hulk cast around for his tormentor.
“She is boarding the police helicopter now,” J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.
“I was hoping for closer,” Rhodes sighed.
He landed in front of the Hulk. “Hey, Big Guy, the nasties are gone. Let’s get a lid on it ‘kay? Time to cool down.” The Hulk casually backhanded him through the wall of a nearby bank. “I’m getting tired of this,” Rhodes muttered as he started digging himself out of the rubble.
Rhodes wasn’t the only one, at the deli several blocks of concrete shifted and a small arm, covered in dirt and streaked with blood broke through to the surface. A moment later Peter Parker hauled himself out from under the partially collapsed building. He crawled out from under the car that was sticking out of the front of the build and looked around with a dazed expression.
The Hulk’s eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a distant blur and wrenched another parking meter out of the sidewalk. Peter gulped then ran across the road and grabbed the Hulk’s wrist, wrapping both arms around it. “Stop! Hulk stop!” he shouted.
The Hulk moved to knock Peter away like he’d done with Rhodes only to freeze when Peter’s childish form registered. The Hulk’s hands went to his head. “WITCH! GET OUT!!” He bellowed, digging his fingers into his skull. “GET OUT!! GET OUT!!!” An expression of shock and pain crossed the Hulk’s face. He started to shrink, the green fading from his skin, a thin line of blood trickled from his ear.
Peter hesitated long enough to catch Bruce as he collapsed and lay him on the grass then ran back to the Deli and started digging into the rubble. “My uncle, Mr. Delmar and his daughter, they’re all still in there!” he shouted as Rhodes freed himself from the bank.
The sounds of approaching sirens and the wop-wop of helicopter blades filled the air.
“Kid, we’ve got to be careful,” Rhodes said as he scanned the collapsed wall of the bank to make sure he’d been the only one caught in that collapse.
“I have to get them out!”
“You ever play Jenga?” Rhodes asked.
Peter’s eyes widened and he stepped back quickly.
“Yeah,” Rhodes said. “We have to move carefully or we could make it worse. J, you’ve got rescue crews alerted?”
“Of course Colonel,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
Rhodes took a moment to survey the damage. Between the deli and the park where he and Bruce had stopped for lunch was several blocks of ripped up streets and overturned cars back. Hulk’s impromptu projectiles had left craters for another two blocks beyond them. Peter hovered just outside of the Deli, wringing his hands in anguish. “He’s going to help,” Rhodes commented softly to J.A.R.V.I.S. “And this might not be a great time to come out as Enhanced.”
“I am taking measures to ensure his privacy,” JARVIS said. “I fear there will still be danger of the people currently present identifying him but I quite adequate at shielding him digitally.”
“You’re a god-send, J,” Rhodes said quietly as he watched the helicopter bearing Betty Ross approach.
Betty spotted Bruce lying unconscious on the ground and hopped out of the helicopter while it was still a few feet off the ground. A dark-skinned man with a badge pinned to his tie followed her a moment later. His demeanor made it clear he’d rather Betty had waited for him to ensure her safety before jumping in. “Detective Mahoney,” the officer introduced himself to Rhodes. “What’s the situation?”
“At this point it's a rescue operation,” Rhodes said. “The hostiles fled. The Hulk is down. We’ve got at least three civilians in the deli, four more in overturned cars, plus assorted injuries from flying debris.”
Mahoney sighed. “I’ll set a perimeter just in case the perps aren’t done stirring up trouble. Your man, Jarvis set their info, we’ve got an APB out.”
“I don’t want anyone attempting to apprehend them,” Rhodes cautioned. “The female has an unquantified ability to screw with people’s heads and the male has super speed. The guy grabbed a gun out of my hand before I could fire it and I swear he wasn’t within three yards of me when I drew. I don’t know exactly what the girl did to the Hulk but nothing hurts him only- Only Banner’s bleeding from the ears.”
Mahoney nodded tensely. “I’ll relay the message: Watch but don’t engage.”
While they’d been speaking an ambulance and fire truck pulled up. Rhodes nodded to Mahoney and went to update the newcomers.
Peter stood in front of the deli wringing his hands. When one of the EMT’s tried to lead him away he shook his head violently. “I can help, just tell me what to do. My uncle’s in there!”
“Kid, I know you want-”
“I can bench a moving van,” Peter stated firmly. “Tell me how to help.”
“The kid’s legit,” Rhodes said. “Both of us can provide the muscle, just point us in the right direction.” He turned to Mahoney and said quietly, “Stick the kid in the ambulance with his uncle as soon as they get him out. I’ll get some additional muscle here to help out but my guess is the kid’s holding it together with adrenaline and sheer determination, once his Uncle’s out of danger and the relief hit him…”
Mahoney nodded. “Maybe keep him busy on getting people out of cars until we’ve got the uncle out,” he said softly. “If it’s not good with the uncle, well just better if the kid doesn’t see.”
“Enhanced muscle does beat the jaws of life nine times out of ten,” Rhodes said. “Speaking of…”
Mahoney nodded.
“I need help,” Betty said approaching a group of paramedics. “Bruce is bleeding.” Her eyes wide with alarm. “He doesn’t bleed.”
The paramedics hesitated, looking around at the devastation. “Fine,” Betty snapped. She spun on her heel and stomped back towards Bruce.
There were looks traded among the medics then one nodded and jogged after Betty. “Stay close?” He asked. “If he wakes up suddenly a familiar face might…” ‘Keep me from being smashed,’ went unsaid.
“Ms. Potts has sent out a plea for local Enhanced to help,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said quietly as Rhodes got to work. “We have already received responses from Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, they both have Enhanced strength and have made no particular effort to hide their abilities from the public. Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan are enroute with their suits and will be onsite in a few minutes. Please contact a medic about your leg.”
“Once we’ve got the civilians out,” Rhodes deferred.
J.A.R.V.I.S.’ silence was disapproving.
“Colonel Rhodes! We need a beam moved!” one of the firefighters shouted from inside the deli and Rhodes hurried inside. “There, can you get that up… twenty inches and hold it steady until we can brace it.”
“On it,” Rhodes said. He crouched to get under the beam then lifted slowly until the firefighters told him to stop. While several of the firemen shoved blocks under the raised beam, one pair of EMT’s crawled under it, trusting Rhodes to hold it until it was secured. Several minutes later a stretcher bearing a girl slightly older than Peter was passed out from the gap. The owner of the Deli crawled out after her and a second stretcher with an older man Rhodes assumed was Peter’s Uncle followed a few minutes later.
An EMT ran in, “Colonel Rhodes, the Hulk has several depressed skull fractures. He needs to be operated on, but-“ the man glanced around at the building the Hulk had destroyed. “We can’t take him to a hospital. Everyone there would be at risk.”
“J.A.R.V.I.S., get in touch with Dr. Cho,” Rhodes ordered, feeling at a loss. “I’ll get back to you when we have a solution,” he told the EMT
“The building needs to come down,” the crew’s structural expert informed Rhodes. “It’s going to topple any minute, if it’s not controlled it could take out the one next door.”
“Is everyone one out?” Rhodes asked.
“The guy in the Devil suit says yes.”
“The Hell’s Kitchen Devil is here?” Rhodes asked in surprise. “I thought he was just some crazy vigilante.”
The medic’s comm beep. “Just so you know, I can hear you,” a dry voice declared.
“Devil? Enhanced senses?” Rhodes asked.
“I can pinpoint heartbeats under the rumble,” Daredevil confirmed. “The four people with you are the only ones in that building.”
“Okay,” Rhodes said. “J.A.R.V.I.S., do you have blueprints?” A moment later he and the a structural expert from the rescue team were pouring over the projection J.A.R.V.I.S. had provided. “Those three walls?” Rhodes confirmed. The expert nodded. “Then get everyone else out.” A few minutes later Rhodes flew out of the building just in advance of several small explosions, as planned the listing building collapsed in on itself, leaving its neighbors standing.
“The kid’s holding his uncle’s hand, on the way to the hospital,” Mahoney reported. “He did good, got several people out of smashed up cars.”
Rhodes nodded. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”
“Colonel,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said.
“Do we have a solution for Bruce?”
“Dr. Cho confirms that Dr. Banner cannot be treated in a hospital,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said regretfully. Past attempts to sedate the Hulk have been unsuccessful. They cannot evacuate an entire hospital to treat one individual.”
“Can we treat him here? Set up a field hospital?” Rhodes tried.
“Dr. Cho says she has a contact who is pursuing other options,” J.A.R.V.I.S. said. “But Colonel, must I remind you of your injuries?”
“Later J.A.R.V.I.S.,” Rhodes said. “How’s the bank?”
“It was better built,” the structural expert said. “Ms. Potts and Mr. Hogan are acting as temporary stabilization while we get something more permanent in place. We should be able to save it.”
At Rhodes’ side Mahoney looked around with an almost awed expression. Jessica Jones and Luke Cage had picked up where Peter left off, freeing trapped motorists and clearing the roads of smashed cars. Pepper walked out of the bank in her armor, talking with the firechief about where else she could help and if there was anything SI could do. Daredevil was almost lost in the shadows but he was there, directing the EMT’s toward the worst injuries. “You know if it was always like this,” he said. “You guys being here for the aftermath as well as the fight. It’d be a hell of a lot easier to trust you.”
“If only I didn’t have to worry about you trying to arrest me,” Daredevil replied.
“If only I didn’t find you standing over the dead body of police officer so often,” Mahoney shot back.
“Don’t act like it’s a pattern, I was set-up, once,” Daredevil argued.
“Once is more than enough,” Mahoney said.
“I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me,” Daredevil said regretfully.
“How can I?” Mahoney asked. “How do I even know you’re the same guy under that mask from one encounter to the next? Maybe those senses you’re using right now to help are unique but this is the first I've heard of them. Normally all I see in your wake is a bunch of guys beaten to hell and back- And maybe some of them I know enough to wish I could have done it myself but I’m a cop, I can’t do that shit if I want to keep my badge -Throwing a guy off a building, handing out a beating? The number of guys who can do that is not small and it’s getting bigger every time I turn around. Every time I see you, how do I know you’re you and not another Punisher, only one who studied kung-fu instead of a crazy ex-Marine who’s never short for an assault rifle?”
“Badges,” Rhodes exclaimed. “That’s an idea for the regulatory body we’re trying to figure out. Given SI’s involvement it’ll probably end up some sort of high tech but some way for heroes to ID themselves to the police and the military that they are who they say they are and that they’re in good standing.”
“Colonel Rhodes?” an EMT asked. “I was told you have injuries?”
“J.A.R.V.I.S., you tattletail,” Rhodes complained.
“I only wish that I had,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied tartly.
The young woman frowned, “I know you’re busy trying to help but it doesn’t help if you keel over.”
A tall man in an outrageous cloak stepped out of a circle of orange sparks. “Where’s my patient?” he demanded brusquely.
“Dr. Strange?!?” the girl squeaked.
“Patient! Depressed skull fractures. Turns green,” Strange barked. To himself he muttered, “Reduced to ambulance driver, I will not be gawked at as well.”
“Is this guy for real?” Rhodes asked.
The EMT nodded, “Dr. Stephen Strange. He was the foremost neurosurgeon in the world- Before the accident. No one’s seen him in years.”
“What can you do for him?” Betty asked, stepping protectively in front of Bruce.
“I’d forgotten how much I enjoy explaining myself to friends and family who don’t have a medical degree,” Strange said sarcastically.
“How silly of me,” Betty snapped. “How could I possibly understand with my three doctorates in Nuclear Physics, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry?”
Dr. Strange had the grace to look embarrassed.
A young woman with silver-blonde hair leaned out of a portal like the one Strange had arrived by. “Stephen, Dr. Palmer is waiting.” Then she noticed Betty and and Strange’s respective expressions. “Oh, I see you are... ‘making friends’ once again. Forgive him, he has no personal skills,” she told Betty.
“She’s waiting for an explanation,” Rhodes said.
“I’m taking him to mirror dimension. If he recovers consciousness unexpectedly damage there will not reflect on this dimension,” Strange explained rapidly. “Initial onsite assessment indicated four fractures likely to require surgery. I have developed several spells which can be used for diagnosis and treatment, a mystical CT scan if you will.” He glanced down at his hands and for a moment his expression twisted with pain and loss before smoothing back into a mask of arrogance. “If, as we suspect, surgery is necessary my former colleague Dr. Palmer is standing by. Dr. Cho contacted HER about the situation and she asked for my help with the... unique difficulties.” He nodded to the blonde. “Clea will serve as our anesthesiologist, again, mystically as traditional attempts to sedate the Hulk have not proven particularly successful.”
“You can come with us,” Clea offered.
“Yes,” Betty said instantly.
“I’ll tag along too if you don’t mind,” Rhodes stated.
“Don’t get in the way,” Strange ordered.
As Strange transferred them into the Mirror Dimension the EMT shouted, “You’ve got TWO patients!!!”
Strange frowned at Rhodes as Dr. Palmer and Clea took charge of Bruce. “What stupidity are you hiding?”
Rhodes sighed. “I caught a bullet before my armor arrived,” he admitted. “The field-deployable armor makes final adjustments to fit on the fly. So I overrode the normal algorithm and had the leg tightened down to restrict bleeding.”
“And you didn’t think to mention this to the first EMT on scene?” Strange demanded.
“Instead of dealing with listing buildings and trapped civilians?” Rhodes replied unrepentantly.
“Out of the armor, I’m sending you to a hospital immediately,” Strange ordered.
“Betty?” Rhodes asked.
Betty glanced up from where she’d been talking with Dr. Palmer. “Apparently I’m still Bruce’s medical proxy.” Betty nodded to Dr. Palmer approvingly, “She checked. We’re good here. You shouldn’t neglect yourself any longer Rhodey.”