Hulk arrived in the uninhabited outskirts of New York and transformed back into Bruce Banner. He took one last, deep look at the brightly lit city behind him before preparing to leave.
Suddenly, a voice came through.
"Mr. Banner, or should I call you Mr. Hulk, there's no need to rush off."
Startled, Banner turned his head to see three people in armor who had appeared in the nearby shadows at some unknown time.
He immediately crossed his arms over his chest. When he transforms into the Hulk, all his clothing, except for his stretchable 'miracle' shorts, is destroyed.
Therefore, Bruce, having just returned to normal human size, was completely naked except for his underwear, and felt a bit chilly.
"Put these clothes on first." Dan casually tossed a trench coat to Bruce. Watching a man stand naked in front of him was rather unpleasant to look at.
Is it the military? Or some special department? Did they track the Hulk here? But why didn't I notice any sign of them before?
Bruce Banner put on the trench coat and scrutinized the three people who had stopped him, led by Dan.
"Who are you? Stark Industries? Are you also here for the Hulk?
I advise you not to make me angry. When I lose my temper, I can't really control myself.
If you provoke me, and the big guy inside me comes out, you'll probably have a hard time leaving unscathed," Banner said with a hint of menace, guessing their identities based on the armor they wore.
"The armor we're wearing is not something Stark could produce," Azu said, her tone carrying a slight hint of displeasure.
"While I wouldn't mind a fight with the big guy inside you, we didn't come looking for you for a battle.
And don't worry, we're not here to capture you either," Dan said easily, looking at Bruce's tense body.
Banner was slightly surprised upon hearing this. "Then what is your objective?"
"We are here to offer you assistance," Dan replied, pulling out a Memory and tossing it to Banner.
Banner caught the Memory and observed it closely before asking, "This is a flash drive? How can this help me? And what does the 'A' on it mean?"
"This is a Gaia Memory. Anger, specially made for you," Dan explained, shaking his head slightly.
"Alright, Gaia... Memory. So what does this Gaia Memory do?" Banner looked skeptical.
"The Gaia Memory is a portable device containing the data and memory of the Earth's power. It is the key to human evolution!"
"The Anger Memory is a Memory I specifically designed and prepared for you. It can help you control the power within your body.
As long as you can perfectly adapt to and use the Anger Memory, you will slowly gain control over the other consciousness within you.
Finally, by relying on the Memory, you will completely master your own strength, and from now on, you won't have to worry about losing your mind," Dan's voice was full of seductive intent.
Banner froze upon hearing this, his eyes shining with a strange light as he looked directly at Dan. "Are you telling the truth?!"
"You'll know if it's true or false once you try it," Dan said calmly, not worried that Banner would refuse.
Half-skeptical, Banner held up the Memory. "What is your goal? Why would you help me?"
"The Gaia Memory is the key created by the Foundation X to enable human evolution.
And that big green guy inside your body, born from gamma rays, holds a certain cosmic secret.
Allowing you to use the Gaia Memory is a win-win model for the Foundation's Museum plan.
You can use the Memory to control the power within your body. You won't turn into a mindless green monster and cause mass destruction because of your rage. In fact, you can completely control this incredible power and become a superhero.
The Gaia Memory will also be able to interact with the gamma-ray mutated cells in your body, accessing the code of a certain cosmic energy law, thereby becoming even more refined."
"You're actually answering everything, being so candid?" Banner looked at Dan, a little surprised.
"Because you are a special candidate, one who can directly help the Gaia Memory improve, so you receive special courtesy," Dan said with a slight smile.
"Who are you? And what kind of organization is Foundation X?" Banner asked with a solemn expression. Since the mysterious man in front of him was willing to answer his questions, he decided to voice all the doubts in his mind.
"The Foundation is just the Foundation. As for me, you can call me by my code name, 'Eternal'—the person in charge of the Museum plan," Dan said, raising his right hand slightly.
"What is this so-called Museum plan? Also, what happens if I choose to refuse?"
"Why would you refuse? I can't think of a reason for you to say no. The Foundation is giving you the Memory without placing any restrictions on you.
Don't you want to control the power within your body?" Dan's tone was indifferent and confident.
Bruce fell silent for a moment. Foundation X and the Museum plan didn't sound like benign entities. The idea of letting humans evolve sounded like a mad scientist's insane plan.
However, if he could genuinely control the gamma cell mutation within his body, it was something he simply couldn't refuse.
"How should I use this Memory?" Bruce finally asked.
"Simple. You don't even need to undergo the surgery for the connector. Just press the button and press the connector directly against your body," Dan said, his tone sounding somewhat pleased.
Bruce took a deep breath and pressed the button on the Memory.
"Anger."
Bruce looked at the Memory in his hand, which was glowing faintly and trembling as if it had a life of its own. "What is this?"
"The Memory can automatically seek out the user with the highest compatibility. It has sensed the power in your body and is experiencing a strong resonance," Izu explained.
Bruce gently loosened his grip, and the Memory automatically floated up, its connector pressing against his chest.
Green light shimmered around Banner's body, and a covering layer that looked like muscle and stone emerged on his body, appearing very mighty and imposing.
After transforming into the Anger Dopant, Bruce Banner raised his hands in astonishment.
"This power! I can really control the power of the gamma cells!" Banner exclaimed excitedly.
However, the excitement didn't last long, as an unexpected change occurred.
"Ah!..." Green light flashed around Banner's body, his hands waved uncontrollably, and his feet stamped deep pits into the ground one after another.
"What's going on? Is the Memory's power out of control?!" Banner hurriedly asked Dan.
Dan was unhurried. "Don't rush. This is quite normal. It simply means you are not yet skilled in using the Memory.
It's normal not to be able to handle a new vehicle well; you'll get used to it gradually.
The fact that you can still maintain a clear self-consciousness is enough to prove the function of the Gaia Memory."
"You're right, but what should I do now? I feel like the power is uncontrollably forcing itself out," Banner nodded, asking for a solution to his current predicament.
"Just take out the Memory and revert the transformation," Azu said, watching Banner flail his arms, speaking in a teasing manner.
"I can't take out this Memory," Banner replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Dan chuckled softly. "It seems the Anger Memory is quite fond of you and is reluctant to come out.
Then let me help you revert the transformation."
"Eternal."
As Dan pressed the Eternal Memory, blue ripples spread out. The green light on Banner's body was suppressed, and the Anger Memory was then smoothly retrieved by Banner.
"Well then, I wish you an early mastery of the Memory and control over the power within your body.
We shall take our leave now." Dan disappeared with Izu and Azu after speaking.
Banner looked with an unreadable expression at the spot where the three had vanished, put away the Anger Memory, and turned to leave.
P.S.:
In this book's setting, the Hulk was born when Bruce Banner's gamma ray experiment went wrong, connecting with a certain cosmic rule.
Banner, as an ordinary person, cannot withstand this cosmic rule, thus giving birth to a second consciousness, the Hulk.
There is no Gamma Divine Power, One Above All (OBA), or anything too monstrous from the comics.
It is not purely a biological mutation.
The Hulk possesses a certain cosmic rule within him, allowing his strength to increase almost without limit according to his level of anger.
If he can fully master his power and merge with the Hulk, he can become a true cosmic god (Skyfather level), which, excluding the Asgardian Allfather inheritance, is the same potential as Thor.
Speaking of the Kamen Rider W Henshin, the first characters considered are those with two consciousnesses in one body.
The Hulk, Venom (with complete self-consciousness in the Venom movie), and even Ghost Rider (who has the Spirit of Vengeance inside him).
After all, before the Final Form of W, the transformation required one person's body to lose consciousness.
(End of Chapter)