A soldier approached Ross's position in the helicopter, snapping to attention before delivering his report. "Sir, Blonsky has arrived at the pickup point. Additionally, our personnel have located Bulma, chief scientist of the Universal Capsule Company. We're extending an invitation for her to join us."
Ross didn't hesitate. "Land and pick them both up."
The helicopter descended smoothly, its rotors whipping debris across the cleared zone. Through the open bay door, Ross could see Blonsky—now fully dressed in a borrowed uniform—standing alongside a blue-haired woman in designer clothes who was flanked by several imposing figures.
Ross activated his scouter, scanning the guards. The readings made his eyebrows rise fractionally. Twenty points each—all of them. Enhanced humans, obviously, though their specific augmentation method wasn't immediately clear. The casual deployment of such personnel spoke volumes about the Universal Capsule Company's resources.
Blonsky's reading, by contrast, showed no significant change from baseline. Whatever the gamma transformation granted him, it didn't persist in human form. Interesting, and potentially limiting.
As Bulma approached with her escort, Ross leaned out slightly and called over the engine noise. "Ms. Bulma, my helicopter might be a bit crowded with your entire team."
Bulma assessed the situation with a practiced eye—military personnel packed into every available space, equipment taking up the rest. She turned to her guards and made a quick decision.
"You two, with me. The rest stay here and continue evacuations."
The dismissed werewolves nodded without argument, immediately returning to their assigned duties. The remaining two followed Bulma up the loading ramp, their movements fluid and alert. Blonsky brought up the rear, his posture military-perfect despite everything he'd just endured.
The helicopter lifted off, gaining altitude to maintain a safe observation distance from the ongoing battle. Ross gestured for Blonsky to take a seat near the rear, then turned his full attention to Bulma.
"Thank you very much for your help and that of Smith Doyle," Ross began, his tone carrying genuine appreciation. "If you hadn't been here, I don't know how this would have ended today."
The statement was calculated—acknowledging debt while establishing rapport. Ross needed allies in the super-powered community, and the Universal Capsule Company was rapidly becoming a major player.
Bulma's smile was polite but didn't quite reach her eyes. She'd dealt with enough military brass to recognize a politician when she saw one.
"Smith is a superhero who does it for fun," she said, her tone light. "After all, when faced with something like this, he won't just stand by and watch."
Superhero for fun. Ross filed that phrase away. It suggested Smith's interventions were motivated by personal satisfaction rather than duty or compensation—which made him both more reliable and more unpredictable.
Ross returned the smile and shifted topics smoothly. "When will your second-generation scouter be released? I can't wait to upgrade. The current 150-point limit is becoming increasingly insufficient given the threats we're facing."
Blonsky's attention sharpened at the mention of scouters. He'd assumed they were military tech, some classified DARPA project. But this girl's company manufactured them? And sold them commercially? His mind immediately jumped to the obvious question—what had his combat power been as the Abomination?
Bulma considered the question briefly. "We already have a sales plan in place. I expect we'll be holding a product launch conference soon." She paused, a slight smile crossing her features. "However, Stark has been discussing the possibility of co-hosting an expo with us, so the timeline might shift depending on those negotiations."
Ross's mind immediately began calculating implications. Stark and Doyle collaborating on a technology expo? The media coverage alone would be enormous. And if they were coordinating product launches...
"I really look forward to your cooperation," Ross said smoothly. "The military will definitely send representatives to participate when the time comes."
He let a beat pass, then changed direction. "Ms. Bulma, do you know what's going on with Smith Doyle and Bruce Banner?"
His hand gestured toward the monitors showing the ongoing battle. Even from this distance, the impacts were visible—buildings shaking, debris clouds rising, the occasional flash of energy.
"I see he's been controlling the tempo of the fight and has no intention of ending it." Ross's brow furrowed slightly, his concern genuine now. "If his destructive moves were used on Broadway, the impact would be catastrophic."
Ross remembered the technique Smith had employed in their previous encounter—that devastating energy wave that had launched the Hulk miles away. If Smith used that here, in the heart of Manhattan...
Three blocks, minimum, would be leveled. Not damaged—leveled. Complete urban destruction, thousands of casualties, billions in property damage. They'd need to evacuate entire neighborhoods. The political fallout would end careers, maybe spark congressional investigations.
And if the Universal Capsule Company was held liable for the damage their "superhero for fun" caused? The compensation would be astronomical, even for a corporation with their resources.
Betty leaned forward, her attention fixed on Bulma with desperate hope. She needed to know Bruce would survive this, that Smith wasn't about to kill him with some overwhelming attack.
Bulma met their gazes calmly, her analytical mind working through probabilities and tactical assessments. "I don't know the specific situation," she admitted. "But after fighting for so long, Smith should have his own plans."
She glanced at the monitor, watching Smith land another combination that would've killed a normal human. "In a place like Broadway, he won't use his more powerful technique. Otherwise..." She trailed off, then added with a slight smirk, "We'd really have to release new products as soon as possible to cover the damages."
Ross blinked. Then blinked again.
Release new products as soon as possible. As if multi-billion-dollar damages were merely an inconvenience that required accelerated R&D schedules.
The sheer wealth that statement implied was staggering. The Universal Capsule Company wasn't just successful—it was operating on a scale that made even massive property destruction a manageable business problem rather than an existential threat.
For a moment, Ross entertained the idea of pinning all of today's damages on Smith Doyle. The man had intervened, after all. Caused collateral damage. The military could make a case...
No. That was fantasy thinking. Today's incident had been triggered by Blonsky's unauthorized transformation, by General Ross's own super-soldier program gone wrong. Smith had responded to Ross's mess, not created it.
And more importantly—attempting to blame Smith Doyle would provoke exactly the kind of enemy Ross couldn't afford. A man who could fight the Hulk to a standstill, backed by a corporation wealthy enough to treat billion-dollar damages as a quarterly budget adjustment?
Starting that fight would be career suicide.
"Hopefully Smith Doyle can finish his battle with Hulk as soon as possible," Ross said diplomatically.
Betty seized the opening. "Dad, if you would let me go down, I can comfort Bruce—"
Ross didn't even let her finish. His expression closed off, the general's mask dropping back into place. Absolutely not. He wasn't sending his daughter into a combat zone where buildings were collapsing and shockwaves could rupture organs. Beyond the paternal instinct, this battle was a intelligence goldmine. Every exchange gave him more data on both combatants' capabilities, limitations, tactics.
He needed this footage more than he needed to indulge Betty's misplaced heroics.
Ross turned his attention to Blonsky, deliberately ignoring his daughter's protest. "Blonsky. It's time we had that talk."
Blonsky's eyes flicked toward Bulma, a subtle question in his expression. Classified discussion with a civilian present?
Bulma caught the hesitation and moved to excuse herself. "I can leave you to—"
"Don't worry," Ross interrupted, waving off the concern. "I believe in Ms. Bulma's character. She is the chief scientist of the Universal Capsule Company and will not disclose our conversation."
It was calculated trust—Bulma had already witnessed most of today's events, and her company's relationship with Smith Doyle made her a valuable potential ally rather than a security risk. Better to include her and build rapport than alienate her with paranoid exclusion.
Bulma turned to her two guards. "Keep today's events confidential. Do not disclose them to anyone."
"Yes, ma'am!" both werewolves responded in perfect unison, their voices crisp and military-sharp.
Ross noted the discipline with approval. Enhanced humans who followed orders, respected authority, maintained operational security. Exactly the kind of assets any military commander would kill to have under his command.
Blonsky straightened in his seat, recognizing the implicit permission to speak freely. "Sir, I obtained the injection from Dr. Sterns. He claimed he had significant quantities of Hulk blood and had successfully synthesized a replication serum."
His voice was steady, professional, falling back into the habit of after-action reports. "He said he could create more Hulks through his research. I was... tempted. I wanted to test the validity of his claims firsthand, so I requested the injection."
Blonsky gestured vaguely at himself. "As you witnessed, I successfully transformed into what Dr. Sterns called 'the Abomination.' I retained full sanity and tactical awareness throughout—not uncontrollable like Bruce Banner's Hulk."
He paused, considering his next words carefully. "The difference in appearance could be due to the super-soldier serum already in my system, or possibly because I was injected with Banner's transformed blood rather than his human baseline. The interaction created different mutagenic results."
Betty's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal. Dr. Sterns—the researcher Bruce had trusted, had worked with—had been conducting unauthorized experiments? Creating weapons from Bruce's condition?
Bruce had wanted to destroy those samples for exactly this reason. God, he'd been right all along.
Ross's mind, however, was already racing down different paths. If every transformation was controllable like Blonsky's—if every subject retained their tactical minds, their ability to follow orders—then this wasn't a failed experiment.
This was a breakthrough.
An army of controllable gamma-enhanced soldiers? That wasn't just a force multiplier. That was a paradigm shift. A military asset that could sweep conventional forces off the board entirely.
"Tell me about the destruction you caused when you first transformed," Ross ordered, leaning forward. He needed to understand the limitations, the risks, the control mechanisms.
Every detail mattered now.