Smith's heart, which had just sunk when Korin said he couldn't grow Senzu Beans, flooded with relief. It was just a seed issue.
That single, unassuming bean from the item draw suddenly became priceless. What he'd thought was a minor disappointment, a wasted opportunity, was actually the key to the entire operation. Without it, Korin couldn't grow anything at all.
Smith pulled the small, dried bean from his pocket and held it out on his palm. "I have one here. Can you use this for planting?"
Korin took the bean delicately between his claws, turning it over and examining it from multiple angles. He even sniffed it. After a long moment, he nodded. "Yes. This will work."
"However," he cautioned, "growing Senzu Beans requires Super Divine Water as a fertilizer. They mature very slowly, and each harvest yields very few beans."
Smith waved off the concern, the relief still evident on his face. "As long as we can grow them at all, that's enough. After the first harvest, we'll save one or two for emergencies and use the rest as seeds for the next planting cycle."
Korin's whiskers twitched. "Even with that approach, I cannot scale production significantly. The amount of Super Divine Water I can synthesize is limited."
That explained it. Korin had tended his tower for centuries and had only managed to accumulate a single small jar of Senzu Beans. Then Yajirobe had come along and eaten most of them in one sitting.
"I'll leave the details to you, Master Korin."
New York City
New Yorkers were having a very strange, very terrifying day. First, the sky had turned pitch black at noon, without any warning, causing traffic accidents and widespread panic. Then, an oppressive, invisible force had pressed down on the entire city, making hearts race and chests tighten.
911 call centers were flooded, the lines jammed with the sound of busy signals. Those who didn't call emergency services contacted their family doctors instead, demanding immediate checkups to make sure nothing was wrong with their hearts or lungs.
Grayburn College
Bruce Banner and Betty Ross walked across the campus quad toward the science building. The air was still thick with the lingering unease from the sky-darkening event. A loud bell rang, and students poured out of the surrounding buildings, their chatter filling the air.
Betty spotted a thin man with glasses carrying a stack of papers and quickened her pace. "Excuse me! Are you Dr. Stern?"
The man stopped and turned, looking slightly flustered. "Yes?"
Betty's smile was tight with tension. "I'm Elizabeth Ross."
Recognition dawned on Stern's face, followed immediately by excitement. "Oh! Dr. Ross, of course. Yes."
Betty gestured behind her. "Someone wants to meet you."
Bruce stepped forward, his expression guarded. "Are you Mr. Blue?"
Stern studied him carefully, his eyes widening slightly as he put the pieces together. "Are you... Mr. Green?"
With their identities confirmed, Stern led them toward his laboratory. As they walked, he couldn't contain his bubbling excitement. "I've wondered for so long whether you were real. If you existed, what you'd look like."
He glanced at Bruce, his eyes analytical. "It's shocking to me that someone harboring such incredible, raw power can appear so... ordinary."
He paused, then added thoughtfully, "I even suspected you might be Smith Doyle for a while. He possesses terrifying energy, too. If it weren't for his connection to that scientist who created Universal Capsule Company for him, and his public friendship with Tony Stark, I would have genuinely believed he was my online contact."
Bruce managed a thin, humorless smile but said nothing. Honestly, he envied Smith Doyle. The man didn't need to transform, didn't lose control of his body. That was perfection in Bruce's eyes.
Stern unlocked the lab and ushered them inside. The room smelled of chemicals and ozone. "I've reviewed all your experimental data," he said, his tone shifting to one of professional seriousness. "But there's something I need to clarify upfront."
"We haven't conducted successful trials. Even with computer calculations giving us the exact values, the most reasonable parameters, and the proper blood replacement ratios, I can't guarantee you'll be completely cured. The best-case scenario might be temporary stabilization."
He met Bruce's gaze. "You understand what I'm saying?"
"And," he added, his voice dropping, "if the dosage exceeds the safe threshold, even slightly, the toxicity concentration becomes extremely dangerous."
Betty's voice came out sharp with worry. "You're saying he could die?"
Stern nodded gravely. "Yes. That's a very real possibility."
Bruce's expression didn't change. His voice was calm. "You should also know that if the dosage is insufficient, or if there's a problem with the delivery, and the Hulk emerges... everyone in this building is in danger."
Stern's serious expression vanished, replaced by a grin that was almost manic. "Listen," he said, his eyes bright, "I've always valued curiosity over caution. If you're willing to take the risk, I will do everything I can to help you."
They understood each other. Despite Betty's quiet, tearful protests, they prepared to begin. Bruce knew General Ross was hunting him. Every moment of delay increased the chance of military intervention. They had to move now.
Military Command Center
General Ross stood before a bank of monitors, coordinating troop movements toward Stern's location. Just as Bruce had predicted, the net was closing.
This time, Ross had come prepared. He was confident he could neutralize Bruce Banner before any transformation occurred.
Stern's Laboratory
Bruce lay strapped to the metal examination table. The leather restraints bit into his wrists and ankles. Stern, all business now, administered the antidote, injecting the glowing blue serum into Bruce's veins.
The effect was immediate. Bruce grunted, his body tensing, and then... a release. The constant, simmering presence of the Hulk in the back of his mind receded like a tide going out. Bruce's physiology stabilized, his frantic heart rate slowing to normal human parameters.
Betty gripped his hand, tears of relief streaming down her face. "You did it. Bruce... you actually did it."
None of them realized the building was surrounded. On rooftops across the street, snipers had taken position, their rifles trained on the laboratory windows.
As Bruce recovered from the procedure, sitting on the edge of the table, Stern began showing him around the lab. They discussed the blood samples Bruce had sent for analysis. Then Bruce noticed a humming sound coming from an adjacent room.
He saw it through the doorway. An entire room filled with industrial refrigeration units. Rows upon rows of test tubes, thousands of them, each containing cloned, green Hulk blood.
Bruce's blood ran cold. His hands clenched into tight fists. He strode over and grabbed Stern by the shoulders, spinning him around. "All of this has to be destroyed. Tonight."
Stern blinked, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Wait, destroy what?"
Bruce's voice dropped to a low, intense rumble of barely controlled fury. "Every blood sample. All of it. It has to be incinerated before morning."
"But... but these samples represent breakthrough research!" Stern sputtered, appalled. "With this, we could win the Nobel Prize!"
Bruce knew the Nobel Prize was every scientist's dream. He tried to make Stern understand, his grip tightening. "You have no idea how dangerous this is. This stuff can't be controlled!"
Stern gestured wildly at the antidote vials. "But we have the cure now. The threat is neutralized."
Bruce's voice rose, losing its careful control. "They don't want a cure! They want to weaponize it!" He shook the smaller man. "If we don't destroy everything right now, we won't get another chance. You don't understand what this power can do!"
Stern pulled himself free, straightening his lab coat with an indignant huff. "You distrust the government, I get it. But aren't you being just a bit paranoid?"
A sharp crack echoed through the lab, the sound of compressed air.
The heavy tranquilizer dart punched into Bruce's back, burying itself deep in his muscle. He staggered forward, his eyes going wide with shock and sudden numbness.
Betty screamed, a high, terrified sound.
Stern stood frozen, his mouth hanging open in complete, dumbfounded shock.
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