Hulk POV:
The Hulk is currently flying right now.
Well… not really flying. He just jumped. Very, very, very high — using all his strength.
Since Bruce and Hulk started talking to each other, they decided to travel the world. And what better way to do that than having Hulk jump from island to island, continent to continent? Hulk can jump pretty far. And if he starts falling too soon, he can just… kick the air somehow, using the wind pressure to push himself higher.
"Hey, buddy. Look down there," Banner says in his head.
While Hulk's in control, Banner can still see through his eyes and talk to him — same way Hulk does when Banner's in control.
Hulk slowly looks down. There's an island below.
"Island," Hulk grunts.
"Yeah, pal. That's where we're landing," Banner replies.
Hulk tilts his body mid-air and kicks off the air, breaking the sound barrier before slamming into the island. The ground cracks under his feet, rubble exploding everywhere.
Hulk stumbles forward and growls. "Hulk… no stick landing."
"It's okay, big guy. You'll get there," Banner says calmly.
Recently, every time they land somewhere new, Hulk tries to make a perfect landing without breaking anything. So far, he's failed every time. But Hulk has willpower. Hulk keeps trying.
"Hey, careful, pal," Banner says, voice low. "Something doesn't feel right about this island."
Hulk frowns. "Hulk strongest there is. Nothing hurt Hulk."
"Yeah, I've heard that one before," Banner mutters.
Then, a deep, rumbling ROAR echoes through the trees.
Hulk turns his head and sees a T-Rex charging straight at him, massive jaws wide open.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Banner groans. "Why is there a dinosaur here?"
The T-Rex roars again.
Hulk, not one to be outshouted, steps forward and roars back.
The T-Rex, clearly taking that as a challenge, roars even louder.
Hulk roars louder.
The T-Rex roars again.
Hulk glares. "Hulk… tired of roar game!"
Hulk launches himself into the air, raising both fists high.
"HULK SMASH!"
He slams both hands down on the T-Rex's skull, driving it into the dirt. The dinosaur collapses instantly, completely knocked out from one blow.
Hulk throws his head back and screams into the sky, pounding his chest like a gorilla.
"Whoa! Whoa! Hulk! What the hell?!" Banner shouts in his head. "That was a real T-Rex! They're supposed to be extinct! How is there a T-Rex on this island?!"
Hulk snorts. "Big lizard weak. Hulk strongest."
"That's… not the point," Banner says, still baffled. "If there's one dinosaur, there might be more. We need to be careful."
"Hulk explore," Hulk says, stomping forward.
"Wait, wait, wait—buddy, we should—"
"Hulk know what Banner gonna say," Hulk cuts him off, waving his huge hand. "Hulk. Explore."
And with that, Hulk stomps into the forest, leaving the unconscious T-Rex behind.
Banner sighs in his head. "Yeah. Sure. What could possibly go wrong on Dinosaur Island?"
Obadiah Stane POV:
"Why?" he murmurs to himself, sitting at his desk with his head buried in his hands. "Why couldn't he just die?"
His voice is low at first, almost a whisper, but it starts to rise with every passing word. "How is he alive?" He leans forward, staring at the floor as if the answer might be there. "He was supposed to be dead. Killed. Buried under a mountain of my money… and now he's here. Smiling. Strutting around like nothing happened."
Obadiah's jaw clenches, teeth grinding. "The prodigal son returns. What bullshit!" He slams his fist against the desk. "Why isn't he dead? Why is Tony Stark still alive?"
The anger builds until it's hard to breathe. Useless. That's what this all feels like. Absolutely useless. He can't even reach him now — whether Raza's dead or just hiding like a coward because he failed, it doesn't matter.
Leaning back in his chair, Obadiah exhales slowly, running a hand over his face. It's not going well. Not at all. He was supposed to have control of this company. He had everything lined up perfectly, every piece in place… and now he's watching it all slip through his fingers because one arrogant little bastard refused to die when told to.
Just the thought of Tony's face makes Obadiah growl under his breath. He inhales deeply, steadies himself, and exhales through his nose. I can work with this, he tries to convince himself. There's always an angle. Always.
"How did he escape?" he mutters, pacing now, voice low and sharp. "Did he make a missile? A bomb? What the hell did he make?"
Obadiah rubs his temples, shaking his head. "I gave them weapons, trucks, everything they needed… and they couldn't kill one man." His voice cracks with frustration. "Now he's alive."
If Raza's still breathing, he should be praying. Praying that Obadiah Stane never finds him. "It's all his fault," he whispers darkly. "All of it. The Ten Rings… useless idiots. Couldn't do one simple task."
Obadiah reaches for the apple on his desk, grabs it hard, and bites into it with force — chewing like it personally offended him. He pauses, frowning. The taste feels wrong. Looking down, he realizes it doesn't even look like an apple. Same shape, but… different. Almost like—
His eyes narrow. "What the hell…?"
He growls, standing abruptly, storming to the door. "WHO THE HELL GAVE ME THIS?" he roars into the hallway. "I WANT THEM FIRED! NOW!" His voice echoes, harsh and venomous.
He tosses the strange fruit into the trash with a hard thud. His hands are trembling. He really, really wants to shoot something.
Click.
He freezes. Slowly, his eyes drop to his right hand…
…which is no longer a hand.
It's a pistol.
"What the—" Before he can even think, he fires it.
BANG!
A shot tears through the office wall, and panicked screams erupt outside.
Obadiah stares, chest heaving, as smoke curls from the barrel that used to be his fingers.
"Oh my god," he whispers, wide-eyed. "I just… I just turned my hand into a gun."
Another click, and the pistol morphs back into flesh and bone. He flexes his fingers, stunned. Then… a grin spreads across his face.
"Yes…" he says, voice low and dangerous. "I can work with this."
And then the laughter starts. First quiet. Then louder. Then full-blown — the kind of laugh only a man on the edge of power can make.
"Ha… haha… HAHAHAHAHA!"
Tony Stark doesn't know what's coming.
++++++++
Author Note -
A villain is gaining some power now. I know Loki is technically a villain, but after the Loki series, I don't really see him that way anymore.
Obadiah Stane has now obtained the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, which allows him to transform his body into any weapon he can imagine.