{Chapter: 268 The Puny Banner}
Banner looked at Natasha with a guarded expression. "Are you here to kill me, Ms. Romanoff? You do realize... it's not exactly easy to kill me."
Natasha shook her head, calm and composed. "Of course not. I'm not here as an assassin. I came on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Banner raised an eyebrow. "How did they manage to find me here? I thought I covered my tracks well enough."
"We've been keeping an eye on you," Natasha replied, her tone even. "But we deliberately kept our distance. We even chased off a few other parties who got too close for comfort."
Banner crossed his arms. "Why go to the trouble?"
"Nick Fury trusts you, Doctor. He believes you're important. But now, the situation has changed. We need you to come with us immediately."
"And what if I say no?" Banner asked, his voice steady but with a faint edge.
Natasha didn't flinch. "Then I'll have to persuade you."
Banner's eyes narrowed. "And what if he doesn't want to come along?"
Natasha understood the implication instantly. "'He' as in... the Hulk?"
"Exactly."
"You haven't had an incident in over a year, Doctor," Natasha said carefully. "Let's not break that streak today."
Banner looked away for a moment, then replied, "The truth is… I can't guarantee anything. Control is… temporary at best."
She nodded slowly. "Fair enough. But listen—right now, the world is facing a catastrophic crisis. One that affects everyone."
A faint smile played on Banner's lips. "You mean William, don't you? Sure, he's powerful, but as far as I know, he's been quiet for a while."
The mention of that name made Natasha's face darken. Her eyes turned cold. "Do me a favor… don't say that name."
Banner gave a low whistle, mildly amused. "Looks like there's some bad blood between you two."
Natasha's voice rose sharply. "It's none of your business!"
"Okay, okay. Pretend I didn't say anything," Banner raised his hands in mock surrender. "No offense meant. Calm down."
Natasha inhaled deeply, forcing herself to exhale slowly and regain her composure. "...Sorry. That was unprofessional of me. Don't take it personally."
"It's fine," Banner said, relaxing a bit. "So… tell me more about this global crisis you mentioned."
Without a word, Natasha pulled out her phone. She tapped on the screen and handed it to him, displaying an image. "This. It's called the Tesseract. It's not just a cube—it's a source of unimaginable power. If misused, it could bring about the end of the world."
Banner studied the glowing blue object on the screen. "And let me guess—Fury wants me to eat it?"
Natasha rolled her eyes. "No. It was stolen. We need you to help locate it. The Tesseract emits a faint gamma signature, but it's too weak for our instruments to track. You're the only expert in gamma radiation who might be able to trace it."
"So I'm not being brought in to be caged like some monster?"
"That's not the plan," Natasha replied. "Fury didn't give me those instructions. If you want the full picture, you'll have to ask him directly."
Banner's voice suddenly hardened. "Stop lying to me!" he shouted, slamming both hands on the table with enough force to make it tremble.
Startled, Natasha instinctively stepped back, her pistol already aimed squarely at his forehead looking little comical in saree.
"Easy," Banner said in a low voice, his hands raised, palms outward. "Let's not escalate this. I just wanted to test something. If you didn't shoot, I knew I could stay calm. And it looks like we both passed the test."
Natasha slowly lowered her gun but kept her eyes on him. "Pulling stunts like that? You'll give someone a heart attack."
"I know… but I didn't transform. That's something."
A calm, unfamiliar voice drifted from the doorway. "Actually, you should've transformed just now."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Natasha froze and gritted her teeth. She didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice.
"William," she said venomously.
Banner turned toward the doorway in surprise. "William? The William?"
The man at the door gave a casual wave and stepped inside. He wore a confident, unsettling smile. "Yes, Dr. Banner. That would be me. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."
Banner stared at him for a beat, stunned. "I've seen you before… on television. On the news. But I never thought we'd meet like this."
"People say I'm even more impressive in person. What do you think?" William asked with a half-smirk.
Banner nodded slightly. "Well… you're definitely taller than I imagined. And I'll admit… a bit more charming."
William chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Natasha's tone was ice. "William, what are you doing here?"
His smile didn't fade. "Oh, nothing much. Just dropping by to say hello."
Then her eyes widened in realization. "Wait. People outside—" she said sharply, cutting herself off.
But it was already too late.
"Are you referring to the men you brought with you?" William asked casually, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, considering you came here to invite Dr. Banner, I assumed you would arrive with sincerity and respect. But bringing armed personnel? That's hardly polite. So, I got rid of them all. Killed them."
He shrugged nonchalantly, as if what he'd just said was no more serious than stepping on ants.
Natasha's fists clenched tightly, her jaw stiffening. "Damn you," she growled under her breath.
Banner's brow furrowed, and his tone turned grave. "While I agree that sincerity matters… that doesn't justify murder. You didn't have to kill them."
"But Dr. Banner," William said with mock sincerity, "you're thinking about this the wrong way. If things had gone badly between you and Natasha, those agents would've turned their weapons on you. I simply removed that potential threat. You should be thanking me for the favor."
"William, what exactly are you doing here?" Natasha demanded, her voice icy and sharp as a blade.
William's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, come now. Isn't it obvious? I want to see the real you, Doctor. The true you. The one that the world fears, and yet secretly admires."
"You're trying to provoke me into becoming the Hulk?" Banner asked warily.
"Do you think I came here to sip tea and chat about world peace?" William sneered. "Let's be honest—I have zero interest in having a polite conversation with a middle-aged man. I want to see what's beneath the skin. I want the Hulk."
"Well, you're wasting your time," Banner replied firmly. "I don't plan on transforming again. Those days are behind me."
William held up his hands and inspected them lazily. "Whether you transform or not isn't really up to you anymore. It's in my hands now."
Natasha stepped forward, placing herself between William and Banner, her glare sharp and unyielding. "You need to leave. Now."
"Leave?" William smirked. "That's a little harsh. I just got here. And besides, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the Hulk yet. After I do, we can talk again—just the two of us."
With a devilish grin, he stepped forward.
Natasha blocked his path and raised her voice. "You're not getting past me without a fight."
William chuckled. "Oh, Natasha, don't make this harder than it has to be. I'm only here for a short visit."
He took another step, but Natasha stood her ground.
"Why are you still here?!" she shouted over her shoulder at Banner. "Run! Do you want to transform?!"
Banner didn't hesitate. He spun and sprinted toward the window. Without a second thought, he leapt out, crashing through the glass and disappearing into the open air.
William watched with casual indifference. "Running won't help. I can find him anywhere."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Natasha's view and reappeared behind her. He gave her a sharp slap across her buttocks, the crisp sound echoing through the room like a gunshot.
"This is your punishment—for being stubborn."
A burning sting flared across Natasha's skin. She turned on her heel, fury blazing in her eyes. "William—!"
But he was already gone.
Without hesitation, Natasha raced to the broken window and jumped out, chasing after Banner.
---
Meanwhile, Banner was sprinting through the surrounding area, weaving through buildings and alleyways. But suddenly, a blur of motion appeared in front of him, and a familiar voice echoed in his ears.
"There's no point in running. You'll never escape me."
Banner skidded to a halt, panting slightly as he looked up at William, who now stood calmly in his path. "You certainly live up to your reputation," he said with a tired smile. "It seems I don't have much of a choice left."
"Exactly," William replied smoothly. "Now you're getting it. Why fight the inevitable? You'll just exhaust yourself. Cooperate, and we can make this easy—for both of us."
"The Hulk's power is too dangerous. Seeing him… usually means someone dies." Banner said this with a note of quiet warning.
Bang!
In a sudden burst of speed, William appeared directly in front of Banner and delivered a vicious slap across his face.
"Stop acting so dramatic. You're not nearly as intimidating as you think. Now stop talking and transform."
The force of the blow sent Banner flying, crashing into the dirt and tumbling several times before he came to a stop.
"You asked for this…" Banner groaned, his voice low and trembling. "I can't… hold it back anymore..."
A guttural roar erupted from his throat, deep and primal. His muscles bulged and expanded grotesquely, shredding his clothes. His skin rippled and shifted color—flesh turning green, eyes glowing with fury.
William's eyes widened with anticipation, his lips curling into an excited grin. "Yes… yes! There it is! It's finally happening!"
And as the last vestiges of Banner's human form vanished beneath the monstrous transformation, the Hulk emerged—growling, towering, and seething with rage.
*****
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