Chapter 62: Hulk Appears

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Adam Wayne. He was holed up in his lab, tirelessly working on the weaponization of human rapid-freezing technology. What had initially seemed like a straightforward project quickly revealed its challenges.

Cryonics for preservation involved carefully replacing blood with refrigeration fluid to prevent ice crystals from forming in cells. As a weapon, this delicate process was unnecessary, but balancing rapid freezing with destructive force required an entirely different approach.

“Failed again!” Adam growled, tossing a test tube into the waste bin. The poor lab mouse inside the cryo-chamber hadn’t survived the latest iteration.

He sighed, slumping into his chair. “I should’ve known this would be harder than it looked.”

Adam’s mind wandered briefly to Tony Stark. The billionaire inventor seemed to excel at solving problems in record time—whether it was creating a new element or curing Pepper’s Extremis condition. “Some people really do have all the luck,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Before he could resume his work, his phone buzzed loudly on the desk. Glancing at the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow.

“Tony Stark,” he said with a smirk. “Speak of the devil.”

“Adam,” Tony’s voice came through, unusually serious. “Do you know what’s happening in New York right now?”

“Should I?” Adam replied casually, leaning back in his chair.

“There’s a monster tearing through Fifth Avenue! It’s like a war zone out here!” Tony exclaimed, his frustration evident.

Adam frowned. “A monster? And the police or the military haven’t handled it yet?”

Tony scoffed. “Handled it? General Ross has the whole area locked down with the army. He’s shooting at anything that moves, and Fifth Avenue is practically rubble. It’s a disaster.”

Adam’s heart sank. General Ross. He immediately had a sinking suspicion about who—or what—was behind this chaos.

“Let me guess,” Adam said, rubbing his temple. “A big green guy, maybe with another monster to keep him company?”

Tony went silent for a moment before responding. “How did you—? Wait, are you saying you know what’s going on?”

Adam sighed. “It’s Bruce Banner.”

“Bruce Banner?” Tony’s voice shot up an octave. “You mean that Bruce Banner? The guy who vanished years ago?”

“The very same,” Adam confirmed.

Tony was incredulous. “But how? Banner’s brilliant, sure, but a monster? That doesn’t make any sense!”

“It does if you’ve seen the military’s experiments,” Adam replied grimly. “Let me send you some classified files. Just… don’t ask where I got them.”

A few moments later, Tony’s voice crackled back over the line. He had just finished reading the documents Adam had sent.

“This is insane,” Tony muttered, his tone heavy. “Ross turned Banner into… into this! That old bastard deserves to rot for what he’s done.”

Adam nodded, though Tony couldn’t see it. “Ross has been chasing Banner ever since the experiment went wrong. He’s obsessed with capturing him, but every time, he ends up making things worse.”

“What’s happening now?” Tony pressed.

“Banner must’ve turned into the Hulk again,” Adam explained. “Knowing Ross, he probably pushed Banner into a corner. And if I’m right, there’s another player involved—Abomination.”

“Abomination?”

“A side project of Ross’s,” Adam elaborated. “He wanted a monster he could control. Let’s just say it didn’t go as planned.”

Tony groaned. “Great. So we’ve got two giant monsters rampaging through New York, and the military’s making things worse. What’s the play, Adam?”

Adam hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to get involved in Ross’s mess, but New York was in chaos, and innocent lives were at stake.

“Tony,” Adam said after a moment. “You can’t go in there. Your suit isn’t built for this kind of fight. Let me handle it.”

“You?” Tony asked, his tone skeptical.

Adam smirked. “I’ve been working on something… experimental. If it works, I might be able to tip the scales.”

Tony paused, then said, “Alright, but don’t do anything stupid. Call me if you need backup.”

“Sure,” Adam replied, though he had no intention of involving Tony.

After hanging up, Adam turned to Skynet.

“Prepare the new prototype armor,” Adam ordered. “We’re going to New York.”

“Understood, Master,” Skynet replied.

Adam’s mind raced as he suited up. The situation in New York was dire, but he wasn’t just going to fight monsters. He had a bigger goal in mind: to understand the Hulk’s true potential and to gather data on Ross’s twisted experiments.

“Let’s see what you’re really made of, Dr. Banner,” Adam muttered as the armor powered up around him.

Moments later, he rocketed into the sky, heading straight for the chaos on Fifth Avenue.