The MARVELOUS Muppets: Hulk-O-Vision

[muppetwriter]

Before you start reading the first chapter of the story, I should let you know that this story is only based off of events, ideas, and concepts from ReneeLouvier's "Sadie" tales; it is not part of the timeline or storyline to the "Sadie" series. Though Renee or anyone else is welcome to use the ideas and concepts that I'm using in this particular story for their own work.

Now, with that said...

The MARVELOUS Muppets
Presents
"Hulk-O-Vision"

Chapter One: The Solution​

The waiting was making Scooter very nervous; he thought about all of the other things that he could be doing at that moment, besides sitting in a waiting room with his 40-year-old mother, Sadie Grosse, waiting to see his doctor about his liver. As he waited, he alternated between different positions in his chair, desperately trying to find a more suitable position to sit in. When that didn’t work, he just grabbed a nearby magazine to keep his mind off the agonizing wait. The book that he decided to read was one that provided information about several gourmet dishes; unfortunately, one of the dishes happened to be liver and onions. Tossing the magazine aside, Scooter got up from his chair to pace back and forth in the waiting room.

“Honey, will you take it easy?” Sadie asked her son. “You’re only here for a checkup, not some kind of life-threatening surgery.”

“What if Dr. Banner finds something wrong, like the other doctor did?” Scooter asked. “I can’t take that risk again, Mom. I don’t want to end up having my life hanging by a thread again.”

“You won’t.” Sadie assured. “You’ve got some of the best doctors in all of San Francisco watching over you.” Scooter sighed, as he sat back down in his chair, right next to his mother. “Relax. You’re going to be just fine.”

“I know, Mom. I know.” Scooter said. “I just think that we should be back at the KMUP station, helping Clifford, Skeeter, and the others get things ready for tonight’s broadcast.”

“Who are we having on air tonight?” Sadie asked.

“Well, we’re gonna start things off with Angus McGonnacle gargling the National Anthem,” Scooter said, “And then Uncle Deadly is doing some kind of skit that’s a spoof of both Ghostbusters and Cops—he’s calling it ‘Corpses and Grave-robbers’; and after that, David Bowie’s supposed to perform ‘Lollipop’ on stage.”

“We are going to notify our live audience to not bring suckers or lollipops, right?” Sadie asked, with a stern expression on her face.

“Of course.” Scooter said. “And David’s going to make sure that he brings his goggles, too.” Sadie sighed in relief, just as a door opened and a beautiful, brown-haired woman wearing a lab coat and a purple dress underneath it stepped out. Her name was Betty Ross, a colleague and love interest of Bruce Banner. Life with Dr. Banner was more than Betty could bear; it was only a few years ago when Bruce’s inner demons took over him, and (due to a large dose of gamma radiation that he absorbed) he transformed into a monstrous green-skinned being known to the world as “The Hulk.” The city of San Francisco had tried to forget about the Hulk, ever since the events occurred; however, there had been some that refused to forget the Hulk and often wanted to see Bruce break out into his beast-like alter ego. Fortunately, Bruce had learned to control his transformations with a formula that would hold them off for only twenty-four hours.

“Scooter Grosse.” Betty called, and when Scooter heard his name, he and Sadie stood up from their chairs and walked over to Betty, who gave them a little smile. “Dr. Banner will see you now.” Scooter took a deep breath and followed Betty into one of the many offices in the clinic’s tenth floor that belonged to Bruce Banner himself. Another reason why Scooter was so nervous in seeing Dr. Banner was his history as the monstrous Hulk; he didn’t want to do anything to upset the kind doctor, because the last thing he wanted was ultimate destruction on his hands.

“Hello, Scoot.” Bruce said, in a friendly tone of voice, as he wheeled his chair away from his desk, where he was analyzing someone’s DNA structure, via a microscope. “How are you doing today?” Bruce extended his hand out for Scooter to shake it; the gofer was reluctant in doing so but was able to muster the courage.

“I’m f-f-fine, Dr. Banner.” He said, and Bruce could tell Scooter was nervous, just by feeling the trembling sensation in his right hand, as he held it in his left.

“You wouldn’t happen to be nervous, would you?” Bruce asked, and Scooter immediately let go of his hand.

“Uh, no. Of course not.” Scooter replied, and Sadie chuckled.

“Are you kidding?!” She exclaimed. “He’s been in anxiety, ever since he got on the plane and left Manhattan.” Bruce nodded and smiled, understanding why the gofer was so nervous.

“I can understand your fears, Scooter.” Bruce said. “But I just want you to know that there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Scooter smirked, pretending to have no idea what Banner really meant by that statement.

“I’m not afraid of any needles or popsicle sticks, Doc.” Scooter told Bruce.

“But you are afraid of the Hulk.” Bruce remarked, and Scooter swallowed hard, realizing that he had been caught.

“Is that true, Scooter?” Sadie asked, and Scooter nodded, much to her embarrassment. “I am so sorry about this, Dr. Banner. We talk about this before we left, and I assured him that the story about you and your ‘Mr. Hyde’ disease was all old news and that you were cured.” Betty, who stood nearby and listened to the whole conversation, wanted to believe that was true; but she knew personally that Bruce had not gotten over the Hulk, despite his medication.

“It’s alright, Ms. Grosse.” Bruce said. “But I believe the real issue that needs to be discussed is Scooter’s liver.” Bruce wheeled himself over to his computer, where there was a 3D diagram of Scooter’s anatomy on the screen. “Now, according to what I’ve been testing, Scooter’s body seems to be reacting to his newly-installed liver quite positively.”

“So that means he can lay off the medicine?” Sadie asked.

“No, unfortunately.” Bruce said. “Though his new liver has adapted to his anatomy, he still has to make certain that it continues adapting. Any halting of your daily intakes will immediately shut down your system and possibly kill you.” Scooter and Sadie weren’t too pleased with that news or the way Banner gave it to them.

“Boy, Dr. Banner…you sure know how to make your patients feel secure.” Sadie said, sarcastically.

“Calm down, Ms. Grosse.” Bruce said. “There, of course, is good news.”

“What? You just saved a bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to Geico?!” Sadie snapped, with an angrier tone in her voice.

“Come on, Mom.” Scooter said. “Let Dr. Banner finish.”

“Ms. Grosse, I have been doing some research on nanorobotics.” Bruce said.

“Nano…what?!” Sadie uttered. “What do some stupid robots have to do with my son’s liver?” Betty wanted to stop Bruce’s explanation right there and then, remembering the tests that they had done in the past on frogs that had ended up exploding. Instead, she let him go on, wondering if he had found a solution to their three-year problem.

“Our nanorobots can ensure that your son’s liver can adapt to his anatomy, without the use of any medication.” Bruce stated. “They’re activated by Gamma radiation and can keep the cells of the liver from deteriorating by regenerating them every millisecond.” Sadie and Scooter had shown their interest in the idea, nodding and smiling over everything that Bruce was telling them.

“How much will these nano-whatever cost?” Sadie asked, and Bruce sunk down in his chair for a brief moment, pondering over a reasonable amount for the Grosses to pay for the use of the advanced technology.

“Well…for you and Scooter…I’m willing to ask for at least two thousand and seventy dollars.” Bruce said.

“That’s a reasonable price.” Scooter said. “We should be getting our own paychecks from the KMUP administration in a couple of days.”

“How will we be able to use these nano-things?” Sadie asked Bruce, who turned to his computer again and brought up a digital animation of the process, explaining it all as it played out on the computer.

“We’ll reopen the spot where we inserted the new liver and attach the nanorobots to the surface of the liver.” Bruce stated. “After the surgical part of the procedure, we’ll place Scooter in the Gamma Chamber and allow the radiation to infect his body, so the nanorobots will be activated and help the liver adapt.”

“Wow.” Scooter said. “You really make all of this sound so easy, Dr. Banner.”

“And expensive.” Sadie murmured.

“If the price troubles you, Ms. Grosse, I’ll be happy to lower it for Scooter’s sake.” Bruce offered, and Sadie held her hands up in protest.

“Oh, it’s not the price, Doc.” Sadie said. “It’s just…well…are you one hundred percent sure that this technology of ours will keep my son’s liver healthy, without the proper medication?” Betty wanted to take this moment to step in and contradict all that Bruce had just explained; but her love didn’t give her the opportunity to do so.

“Of course.” Bruce lied. “You and your son can expect to come for the experiment…I mean, the surgery in a month or so.” Scooter and Sadie were both pleased; they stood up and shook Bruce’s hand.

“Well, Dr. Banner,” Sadie said, “I guess we’ll see you in a month.” Bruce nodded and grinned, as the Grosses departed from the room and left Bruce and Betty to discuss all that they couldn’t talk about in front of Scooter and Sadie.

“Since when were you able to fix the nanorobots?” Betty asked, as Bruce stood up from his chair and leaned over his desk, with his head lowered in despair.

“I didn’t.” Bruce said, and Betty crossed her arms, with mixed expressions of fear and disappointment on her face.

“So you lied to that kid and his mother?!” Betty shouted.

“What was I supposed to do, Betty? Tell him that he’ll have to pop pills in his mouth for the rest of his life?!?!” Bruce yelled, angrily (an emotion that he was free to express, since he was on medication). “I need to finish what we started, Betty. I’m getting close to solving our problem…I can feel it!”

“Bruce, if you go through with this, you could end up killing an innocent boy.” Betty said. “You know what the nanorobots have done to previous subjects. Do you want the same thing to happen to Scooter Grosse?”

“Of course not!” Bruce snapped. “That’s why I’m going to do more research and tests over the time that I have before Scooter’s surgery.”

“And what if you don’t find a solution, Bruce?” Betty asked. “What will you tell him and his mother, when they come here and expect to have those nanorobots attached to his liver?”

“I don’t know!!” Bruce yelled, angrier than ever. That much anger was enough to transform him into the Hulk, but it couldn’t, due to the medication in him. However, something was happening inside of him; through the stress, he could sense the monster within him trying to break out. Betty watched him as he slouched over his desk, clutching his abdomen and accidentally knocking all the materials off his desk.

“Bruce?” She said. “I…I thought you still had a few hours left before your next dose.”

“I…do!” Bruce struggled, breathing heavily. “Something’s…wrong. He’s trying…to come…out!” Immediately, Betty reached into a small overhead cupboard and pulled out a syringe filled with green liquid; she gently tapped the side of it, just before sticking the needle into Bruce’s left arm and injecting the green liquid into his bloodstream. In a quick moment, Bruce was breathing normally and no longer clutching his abdomen; though he seemed to have control over himself again, Betty was still worried.

“Bruce…I…”

“No, Betty. I am going to go through with this process…and I am going to keep that boy from suffering any more…even if it means putting my health on the line.” Bruce got to his feet and walked out of his office, while Betty knelt down on the floor and silently wept. She seemed so certain that their love life was back on track; but she was beginning to wonder if going back to Bruce was a mistake.

END OF CHAPTER ONE​

 

[ReneeLouvier]

*silent, then the sound of a loud squeal fills the room* OH MY GOODNESS!
This is wonderful!!! Ahhhh!!! I love it, MW!! ooh....it's soo awesome.!!!!

 

[muppetwriter]

St. Patrick's Day couldn't have been a more perfect day to post this chapter.

Chapter Two: It Ain't Easy Turnin' Green​

Bruce, Betty, and four other doctors were hard at work, as they operated desperately on Scooter in a dimmed room that was commonly used for surgical operations. The only bright light that illuminated the room was the set of lights that shined over Scooter and the surgeons, helping them work a little better. Betty was still a bit reluctant about the whole procedure, but there was nothing else she could do or say at that moment, since they were already attaching the nanomeds to Scooter’s liver.

“Alright.” Bruce said, from behind his surgical mask. “Now that we’ve gotten the meds on there, let’s close him up.” Betty and the other doctors nodded in affirmation; they were about to sew Scooter’s opened abdomen up, until a sudden rapid beeping sound was heard from one of the monitors. “What the…?” The doctors turned to the monitor that was keeping track of Scooter’s heart rate.

“Oh, my god!” A doctor exclaimed. “His pulse just went up!”

“The nanomeds must have some kind of reaction to the cells in his liver, thus increasing his adrenaline.” Betty assumed, and she turned to Bruce, with her eyes showing the cautious emotion that she had been feeling for a full month. “Bruce, you have to remove the nanomeds! They’re killing him!”

“No!” Bruce exclaimed. “There’s nothing wrong with the meds! His body is just responding to them negatively!”

“What do you suggest, Dr. Banner?” A surgeon asked.

“We have to activate his adenylate cyclase to increase the glycogenolysis; it’s the only way we can reduce his blood pressure.” Bruce suggested, and one of the doctors injected him with a medical substance to do just that. The substance worked…but it worked all too well. In a matter of seconds, Scooter’s heart rate was reduced down to the point where his heart and other bodily functions were no longer functioned. Both the electrocardiogram (which showed Scooter’s heart activity) and electroencephalogram (showed his brain activity) were flatlined, indicating that Scooter was dead, much to Bruce’s displeasure. “No…No…NOOOO!!!!!!!!”

Bruce frantically shook Scooter’s lifeless body and wept, while Betty and the other doctors removed their masks and wept as well. Betty didn’t want to admit that she was right, especially at a time like then. Instead, she just walked out of the room, along with the other doctors, leaving Bruce crying over Scooter’s deceased body. In the waiting room, Sadie sat with Skeeter, Clifford, Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and some other Muppets, all waiting to hear some news about Scooter’s operation; as soon as Betty stepped in, they all stood and looked at her.

“Ms. Grosse…” Betty said, and Sadie and Skeeter knew that something was wrong, judging from the tears that were coming down Betty’s eyes, “I’m sorry…your son didn’t survive the operation.” Sadie’s head immediately went to her hands, and she wailed loudly. Skeeter clutched onto Clifford and cried on his right shoulder, as the others had their heads down and tears streaming from their eyes. In a second, Sadie went from being sad to angry.

“Where’s Dr. Banner?!?!” Sadie yelled, furiously, and Betty’s hands quickly went up in protest, as she attempted to calm the angry Sadie down.

“Ms. Grosse, please understand that he did everything to save your son.” Betty said.

“Oh, I’m sure he did!” Sadie remarked, sarcastically. “That lying creep said that those nano-things would save my son’s life! And instead, they took it away from him!”

“Ms. Grosse…”

“I WANT TO SEE BANNER!!!!!” Sadie viciously pushed Betty aside and headed over to the double doors that led into the surgery room. When she was two feet away from them, they suddenly flew off their hinges; Sadie and the others ducked as the doors soared over their heads and smashed against a nearby wall. An incredibly loud roaring sound echoed throughout the waiting room and the rest of the complex, as the green, nine-foot monster known as the Hulk entered.

“Oh, no.” Betty murmured, while the Hulk began his rampage through the complex, taking all of the furniture in the waiting room and throwing it through the ceiling above them. Upstairs, a young patient was lying peacefully in bed and watching an episode of Bear in the Big Blue House on television, just as all of the waiting room furniture crashed through the floor and destroyed the television set in the room.

“What the…?!” The patient exclaimed, right before the Hulk crashed through the floor as well and roared at the patient, scaring him back into the coma that he just recovered from. The Hulk then crashed through a window and fell thirty feet before his enormous bare green-skinned feet hit the pavement, putting huge, nasty cracks in it. He continued roaring into the afternoon air, catching the attention of several innocent bystanders who ran immediately after they spotted him.

The Hulk took out his frustrations on vehicles that were parked near the sidewalk, smashing his large fists through their windshields and decimating them to the point where they were nothing but scraps. After destroying a corvette, he spotted the Muppets’ Electric Mayhem bus parked nearby; it was larger than any other vehicle parked on the street and impossible for a mere mortal to lift. However, the Hulk was no mere mortal; he was an indestructible force that no one (not even Spider-Man or the X-Men) could control. Picking up the Electric Mayhem bus, he let out another huge roar as he hurled it towards the glass entrance doors of the clinic.

Inside the clinic, the Muppets had come downstairs to the lobby to find the Hulk, just as their famous bus crashed through the entranceway and totaled itself and everything inside the lobby. Luckily, no one was injured from the crash, but the Electric Mayhem was not too pleased to see their wrecked bus sitting on its side in the lobby.

“Aw, man!” Floyd exclaimed. “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me!”

“Like, that not-so-jolly green giant just destroyed our wheels!” Janice yelled, and the most displeased member of the group, Animal, went into a frenzy of his own.

“WRECKED! WRECKED! WRECKED!!” He shouted, as he ran out of the demolished lobby area and onto the street corner, where he saw the Hulk still destroying every parked car. Animal glared at the Hulk, becoming more furious than the green behemoth himself. “HULK! HULK! HULK!!!!” He charged at the Hulk, who turned in time to see the uncontrollable Muppet coming right at him. Before the Hulk could make any sudden moves, Animal jumped and clutched onto his large green head, covering his face and eyes to blind him. “ANIMAL DESTROY HULK! ANIMAL DESTROY HULK!!”

Unfortunately, Animal never got that opportunity; the Hulk, far more enraged than he was before, grabbed Animal with his large green hand and snatched him off his head. Holding Animal in his left hand, the Hulk roared ominously at him; in a matter of seconds, Animal had passed out in fear of what the other beast could’ve possibly done to him. With Animal no longer posing as a threat, the Hulk threw his unconscious body far into the sky, sending it flying past the clouds and out of the Earth’s atmosphere. The other members of the Electric Mayhem had seen what the Hulk did to Animal and were impressed, angered, and worried all in the same time.

“Well, at least Animal’s going to be the first Muppet on the moon.” Dr. Teeth said.

“If there’s gonna be a moon left at all. He still thinks it made out of cheese.” Clifford remarked, while Betty (who was watching Bruce—as the Hulk—demolish everything in his path) went to a nearby telephone and call her father, General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

“Dad? This is Betty.” She said. “Do you remember when you told me to let you know if I were to come in contact with Bruce, after he supposedly died from that Gamma explosion? Well…he’s alive and the Hulk is loose again.”

“How long have you been holding this information from me, Betty?” Ross asked, and Betty was very reluctant to answer the question, but she was able to gain the courage to do so.

“For at least a year, Dad.” Betty said, and she could hear her father moaning over the phone. “I’m sorry…I thought that I could…”

“You just try to get yourself somewhere safe!” Ross snapped, angrily. “Let the boys and me handle the monster.”

“He’s not a monster! He’s a…” Before Betty could have finished her statement, she heard a dial tone in place of her father’s voice, signifying that General Ross had hung up. She loved her father so much, but she also loved Bruce as well; and the fact that the two were going to combat again put her into severe despair.

Within a few hours, the Hulk had completely ravaged the entire city of San Francisco, transforming it into smoldering ruins. When General Ross and his army had arrived in tanks, choppers, and jeeps, the Hulk did not show any mercy towards them. He started his rampage on General Ross and the military by slamming his giant fist down on the concrete and creating a massive earthquake. The pavement cracked under the pressure of the quake and caused two tanks to fall through the ground and into a black abyss below. The Hulk then took a huge chunk of the concrete that he cracked and hurled it at one of the choppers above; once it came in contact with the chopper itself, a huge explosion erupted in mid-air and the burning chopper crashed into the pavement.

Seeing what the green monster was doing to his men, General Ross was more determined than ever to take the Hulk down. He ordered his pilot to fly over the Hulk, while his gunners would fire several bullets and missiles at him. The soldiers acknowledged his orders, but the plan didn’t work; the bullets only bounced off the Hulk’s skin, and though the missiles did damage the green giant, he recovered in seconds. Ross and the military didn’t know how much more they were angering the Hulk with their constant attacks. He was already past the “Savage Stage” of his anger, in which he was careless in his destruction and often killed innocent people in the process. However, if the Hulk were to go beyond the “Savage Stage,” the possibilities could be far direr, even for the Hulk himself.

“There’s no way we can take him down, General.” The pilot stated. “He’ll just keep coming at us more and more until we no longer have any ammo left.” Ross didn’t want to hear one of his soldiers talk like that…especially when he had something up his sleeve.

“I’ll be the one to decide when the war is over, pilot.” He said, just before he spoke into the microphone of his headset. “Attention, all Black Hawks. The time has come for us to unleash the Gamma missiles. Don’t let civilian casualties be a bother to you, because there couldn’t possibly be any survivors left after this kind of destruction. The only way to kill this beast is to give it the same dosage that was used to birth it out of Banner. If there are any of you that wish to back out of this mission now, you are welcomed by my command to do so. Otherwise, get ready to fire all Gamma missiles on my signal.”

The soldiers in the Black Hawk choppers were hesitant to follow Ross’s command, knowing that if the Gamma missiles were to destroy the Hulk, then they could possibly destroy what was left of San Francisco and themselves as well, leaving nothing but a wasteland. But they knew that the Hulk must be destroyed, or else other cities would suffer under the wrath of the green behemoth, just like San Francisco had. Making a quick decision, the choppers remained where they were, and when Ross gave his signal, they all fired eight-foot, metallic missiles that harvested enough Gamma radiation to wipe out an entire state. When the Hulk saw the missiles coming at him, he no longer roared like the beast he was; instead, he spoke through the consciousness of the man inside him, Bruce Banner.

“NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

---------------

Bruce woke up from his slumber screaming, with large beads of sweat coming down from his forehead. After realizing that the whole incident that just occurred was only a nightmare, he calmed himself down and rested his head back down on the soft, white pillow. It was the middle of the night, and he was at the only place where he felt safe and comfortable: his own house. But what Bruce found so unusual was the fact that he had no recollection of ever returning home. The last place that he was in was his office at the clinic.

Banner wanted to know what time it was; however, when he turned to see the clock that was supposed to be sitting on top of his dresser, he was stunned to see a humungous hole in the wall, revealing the front yard. Bruce got up from his bed and analyzed the hole with disbelief; he looked past it to see several of his neighbors stepping out of their homes and gawking at their demolished vehicles and the cracks that were made in the streets. For a minute, Bruce believed that it might’ve been just an earthquake; but once he remembered all that had happened in his dream, he looked down at himself and noticed how he was shirtless and wearing pants that were ripped to shreds.

“Oh…Oh, my god.”

END OF CHAPTER TWO​

 

[ReneeLouvier]

*mouth agape, just staring* ....you....killed him.....

what's gonna happen now!? He's DEAD!! oh no....no no....wow....I...I just...WOW

 

[muppetwriter]

*mouth agape, just staring* ....you....killed him.....

what's gonna happen now!? He's DEAD!! oh no....no no....wow....I...I just...WOW

There, there, Renee. I didn't kill him. It was all just a dream.

 

[ReneeLouvier]

*pratically claws at the screen*

....please post more!

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Three: The Ratings-Booster​

At the KMUP station near San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge, Clifford and the Muppet crew were watching a special report of a horrific rampage, courtesy of the Hulk, which took place from the St. Kirby Medical Clinic to a suburban neighborhood between Lee Avenue and Henson Street. Footage of the Hulk’s rampage was shown on television; he was basically doing all of the things that he did in Bruce Banner’s dream, except there were no tanks or choppers for him to destroy. In a close-up of the green monster’s face, it was revealed that the Hulk’s eyes had been closed during the destruction, which led reporters to believe that he was sleep-walking…or, as they put it, “sleep-rampaging.”

“We have no word on the Hulk’s whereabouts at this moment,” The newsman stated, “But we do know that the San Francisco police are working with both the military and the agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. to track down the source of the Hulk’s rampage, Dr. Robert Bruce Banner. Tune in at five in the evening for further updates.” Clifford turned off the set and looked at his crew with an impressed look.

“Now that’s what we need to boost ratings on KMUP!” Clifford exclaimed, and the Muppet crew looked to one another and then at Clifford, questioningly.

“You sayin’ that you want to get the Hulk on KMUP television?” Skeeter asked.

“Why not?” Clifford said.

“Because he’s a walking wrecking ball, moron!!!” Piggy snapped, angrily.

“I ain’t talking about having that green monster on the show, man.” Clifford said. “I’m talking about bringing that Banner dude.”

“Scooter’s physician?” Skeeter said.

“Hey, I don’t know if you heard, Cliff, but that cat is on the lam.” Dr. Teeth said. “If you get him on one of our programs, then you’re risking being caught by ‘the man’ for harvesting a known criminal.”

“He isn’t a criminal.” Skeeter said. “It’s the Hulk that caused the destruction, not Dr. B.”

“But the mil and the dudes from S.H.I.E.L.D. are looking for the source of the Hulk’s rampage.” Floyd told Skeeter. “And the source of the Hulk is Dr. Banner.” Johnny Fiama, a Muppet who based himself off of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, didn’t exactly feel comfortable over the thought of the Hulk running rampant through the city.

“A guy with green skin…” Johnny said, shaking his head slowly, “…That just freaks the ganolies out of me.” Sal Manilla (the monkey bodyguard, flunky, and all-purpose sidekick to Johnny Fiama) placed a paw on Johnny’s shoulder and comforted him, as he seemed to be suffering from bad memories.

“Oh, it’s okay, Johnny.” Sal said. “You don’t have to worry about that mean, ol’ Hulk bothering you with me around to protect ya.” Johnny looked over at Sal, raising his left eyebrow up with confusion.

“You? How the heck are you gonna protect me from the Hulk?” Johnny inquired. “I don’t know you’ve realized it or not, Sal, but you’re no King Kong, my friend. You…You’re not even up to the Hulk’s level.”

“Oh, sure I am, Johnny.” Sal claimed. “I’ve been doin’ some weight-liftin’.”

“You’ve been doing some what?” Johnny remarked.

“You know, liftin’ some weights.” Sal said, and he flexed his right arm in front of Johnny, though it was hard to make out a muscle on his fur-covered arm. “See? Does the Hulk have biceps like this?” Johnny just stared at Sal oddly, not even sure if the monkey had his head on straight.

“Are you out of your mind?” He asked.

“Johnny, listen…”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOU EMPTY, HOLLOW, GODFORSAKEN MIND?!?!” Johnny screamed, which led everyone else in the room to focus on just him and Sal. “You can’t go up against the Hulk, Sal! He’s the Empire State Building and you’re Madison Square Garden! There is no way you can ‘protect me’ from him!”

“Yo, Johnny! Chill out, man.” Clifford said. “You act like the Hulk’s just after you.”

“He is after me!” Johnny told Clifford. “And if you bring him on this show, then I’ll…I’ll…” He thought for a moment about what he would do. He didn’t want to say the next thing that came out of his mouth, but his conscience made him say it anyway. “I’ll quit!” That brought a great deal of shock over the KMUP crew, except for Miss Piggy, who seemed delighted.

“Now will everyone start giving moi more airtime?!” Piggy demanded.

“No one’s gonna quit.” A voice assured, and everyone turned towards the elevator, which Scooter and Sadie were stepping out from.

“That’s right!” Clifford said. “You tell ‘em, Scoot!”

“Because we’re not going to have Dr. Banner on the show.” Scooter added, and both Clifford and Skeeter were taken aback.

“Say what?!?!” They shouted.

“My physician is not some sideshow to boost our ratings.” Scooter said. “If you want someone to boost ratings, then get one of those accursed mutants to showcase one of their freaky powers.”

“Or you can get me to do a live autopsy.” Dr. Phil van Neuter offered, and the room fell silent for a brief moment before everyone continued on with their discussion.

“Scoot, you said that Dr. Banner was on some sort of medication that keeps him from turnin’ green, right?” Clifford asked.

“That’s what we thought.” Scooter replied.

“Well, just get him to pump that medicine into his system, before coming on the show.” Clifford suggested.

“He’s already got his job at risk, Cliff!” Sadie said. “Who knows what could happen if you put him on Muppets Tonight?”

“I’ll tell ya what will happen.” Clifford told Sadie. “ABC and Disney won’t even up canceling us…that’s what’ll happen!”

“There’s always a spot on House of Mouse, okay.” Pepe said, just as Animal went nuts but was contained by Floyd.

“SNOW WHITE! SNOW WHITE! SNOW WHITE!!” He shouted.

“You can take Snow,” Pepe told him, “I’ll be in the mood for some Caribbean dancing with the Little Mermaid, okay.” Scooter and Sadie shook their heads, as Skeeter pleaded to them.

“Come on, bro.” She said. “Think of how our audience would react to this. It’ll be more fantastic than that acrobatic skit that I did, three years ago.”

“He’s my doctor, Skeeter; not a ratings-booster.” Scooter said. “We are going to leave Dr. Banner alone. And if anyone tries to get him on Muppets Tonight, then you’re forcing me to take this matter up to my uncle.” With that warning, some of the Muppet crew dropped the idea, not wanting to put their jobs on the line. Johnny Fiama, on the other hand, was pleased that the crew wasn’t going to have the Hulk on Muppets Tonight.

“Hey, fellas…you win some, you lose them. That’s life.” Johnny said, and that’s when he started singing, “That’s life, that’s what all the people say. You’re ridin’ high in April, shot down in May.” And soon, Sal was joining him in the song.

“But I know I’m gonna change that tune…When I’m back on top, back on top in June.”

“Let me handle the next chorus, Sal.” Johnny insisted, and someone threw him a microphone, as the lights came off and a spotlight focused on him; chickens handled the background singing. “I said that’s life (that’s life), and as funny as it may seem…Some people get their kicks stompin’ a dream. But I don’t let it, let it get me down…‘Cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin’ around. I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a king…I’ve been up and down and over and out and I know one thing. Each time I find myself layin’ flat on my face…I just pick myself up and get back in the race. That’s life (that’s life), that’s life and I can’t deny it…Many times I thought of cuttin’ out but my heart won’t buy it. But if there’s nothin’ shakin’ come this here July…I’m gonna roll myself up in a big ball a-and die…My life.” Once Johnny was done, there was a round of applause for him; however, the only one that was applauding was Sal.

“Hey, that’s great, Johnny! That’s great!” Sal exclaimed. “It’s just too bad that it wasn’t on national television though. But it was still good!” Johnny, reminded over the fact that his performance wasn’t on television, threw down the microphone and angrily walked off. “Johnny? Hey, Johnny! Where ya goin’?” Sal followed Johnny out of the room, and everyone else left as well, except for Sadie, Scooter, Skeeter, and Clifford.

“You’re making a mistake, Scooter.” Skeeter said. “If we don’t get Dr. B on the show, we lose Muppets Tonight altogether.”

“Forget it, Skeet!” Scooter retorted. “We’ll just find someone else.” Scooter marched out of the room and went to take his daily medication, while Sadie put her hand on the right side of Skeeter’s face.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Sadie said, and she joined with Scooter to make sure that he safely took his medication.

“Hey, maybe it would be better if we left the Doc alone, Skeet.” Clifford said. “I don’t want to lose the show, but I also don’t want the military on our butts either.” Skeeter didn’t give up so easily; she had something up her sleeve, but she didn’t share it with Clifford, only because she knew that he would talk her out of it.

“You’re right, Cliff.” She said. “It is a bad idea. We’ll just get Dr. Phil van Neuter to do his live autopsy.” Clifford cringed at the thought of that type of skit.

“Man! I’d rather have Johnny Fiama do another one of his lame Frank Sinatra numbers.” Clifford said, and as he walked off, Skeeter pulled a small piece of paper from the left pocket of her blue jeans that had Bruce Banner’s name and phone number on it. Looking down at the paper, a sly grin crept across her face.

END OF CHAPTER THREE​

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Wow. Skeeter's gonna go over her brother and her mother's wishes!! She's gonna get it!!!

And your kinda making Sadie out to be this....psycho mother. But that's cool! I like it. I can tell why she'd be this highstrung and worried. I mean...her son's life in still in the hang of it. I don't know why, but the scene with him fussing and then Sadie making sure he took his medicine, just stuck me as sweet for some odd reason.

Great story!! Hate to nag...but...

Post more as soon as possible, pretty please!?

 

[muppetwriter]

Wow. Skeeter's gonna go over her brother and her mother's wishes!! She's gonna get it!!!

And your kinda making Sadie out to be this....psycho mother. But that's cool! I like it. I can tell why she'd be this highstrung and worried. I mean...her son's life in still in the hang of it. I don't know why, but the scene with him fussing and then Sadie making sure he took his medicine, just stuck me as sweet for some odd reason.

I guess that's the way I see Sadie in the Marvel Universe. Either that, or I'm kind of going "over the top" with her character.

I'm glad you like it, Renee.

 

[muppetwriter]

Great story!! Hate to nag...but...

Post more as soon as possible, pretty please!?

Ask and you shall receive.

Chapter Four: Deal or No Deal​

“How could this happen?!” Betty exclaimed, as she gave the medication that kept Bruce from transforming again. The two were watching the newscast of the Hulk’s rampage across San Francisco, while sitting in the living room of Betty’s home. Bruce was in shock over what he was watching television, wondering how he could’ve let the Hulk escape as he slept.

“I don’t know, Betty.” Bruce said. “All I remember doing was taking notes over some of the tests that I was doing for the nanomeds that we’re expecting to insert into Scooter Grosse, and then I found myself lying in bed, with my clothes completely ripped.”

“You said that you dreamt that you, some other surgeons, and I were working on Scooter, until he suddenly flatlined and you became really distressed, right?”

“That’s the way I remember it from my dream.” After Betty gave him his medication, he stood up, rolled his left sleeve down, and continued staring at the destruction that his alter ego caused on television last night. “I had mixed emotions of sadness, depression, rage, and suicide.” The last emotion that Bruce mentioned had taken Betty by surprise.

“Suicide?!” She exclaimed. “Why were you thinking of killing yourself?”

“Because I didn’t want to go on living with the burden of killing an innocent kid on my head.” Bruce said, and Betty stood up from her chair and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It was only a dream.” She told him. “You can keep those events from happening, if you just cancel the operation and tell Ms. Grosse and her son the truth.” Bruce shook his head, not wanting to think about doing such a thing.

“I’ve made too much progress to quit now, Betty.” Bruce said. “Last night, before I blacked out, I discovered the flaw in the nanomeds.”

“What did you find out?” Betty asked, and he looked away from the television set and moved over to a table, where some filed notes were sitting. He grabbed the files from the table and gave them to Betty for her to look over.

“We’ve going about it all wrong.” Bruce said. “We’ve been feeding the meds too much Gamma-radiated power. That’s why everything was blowing up. A one hundred percent increase in Gamma radiation causes the nanomeds to speed up the adrenaline and, depending on the size of the subject, shut down the heart and other bodily functions or blow them up.” Betty’s faith grew only a little, as she looked over Bruce’s notes.

“So…just by balancing the rate of radiation, we could get the meds to function properly.” Betty said.

“We’d just have to be careful not to lower the radiation too much, or we could risk deteriorating the organs, instead of inflating them.” Bruce said, and Betty smiled at him.

“If your calculations are correct,” She said, “Not only we will save Scooter Grosse’s life, but we can find a way to get my father, the military, and S.H.I.E.L.D. to cut you some slack.” Bruce thought about that idea, and though it sounded brilliant, there was something about it that made him feel uneasy.

“I don’t know about that.” He said. “Despite the fact that we’ve gotten the project back on track, your father won’t forget about the creature that lies within me and the recent chaos that it caused.” Bruce looked back at the television set, which was still broadcasting the footage of the Hulk’s rampage. “As long as the Hulk is a part of me, I’m a liability to you, your father, and everyone else in this city, especially Scooter Grosse.”

“Scooter Grosse needs you, Bruce.”

“He doesn’t need me. He needs those nanomeds.” Bruce took the files out of Betty’s hands and threw them back down on the table, while he grasped onto Betty’s hands. “You try to get that boy healthy again. His life is in your hands now.” Betty was confused, yet she had an idea of what he planned on doing, and it made her a little upset.

“Bruce, don’t run away again.” Betty demanded. “I’ve spent several months worrying myself to death about whether or not you were safe or even alive.”

“I have to, Betty.” Bruce said. “You said that I can keep my dreams from coming true. The only way I can do that is by letting you handle the operation.”

“But why me?”

“Because you’re the only one that I trust to go along with this.”

“But, what if…?”

“It’ll be a success, Betty. I’m sure of it. And as long as your father believes that you are the one responsible for it, then there’s a chance that every kid like Scooter won’t have to worry about living their lives taking pills every hour of the day or getting their oxygen from a tank.” Betty just stared at him for a long moment, and she gave him a warm hug, tears streaming from her eyes. “I will be fine, Betty. I’ll be sure to call you everyday and let you know how I’m doing.”

“Just…Just be careful, Bruce.” Betty said, just as the telephone started ringing. Bruce gawked at it; he was certain that it could’ve been someone on the other line that wanted to turn him in. With the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. hunting him down, he couldn’t help but to feel a little paranoid. “I’ll answer it.” Betty walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Hello? Dr. Ross?” The caller said. “This is Scooter.” Betty looked over at Bruce and mouthed Scooter’s name to him, while giving him a bright smile.

“Hello, Scooter.” She said. “How are you doing today?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Scooter said, yet Betty detected a bit of reluctance in his voice. “I, uh, called to ask if…if…if you think that I’ll make it through the operation.” She felt sorry for the gofer; but she was also pleased that she could finally give him so good news.

“You’ll be alright, Scooter.” Betty said, while looking over at Bruce. “In fact, I’m so sure that you’ll make it through this operation that I’m pushing back the day of it from a month to sometime tomorrow.” Scooter, on the other line, was a little surprised that from Betty.

“Tomorrow?!” Scooter exclaimed. “Does Dr. Banner know about this?” Betty gawked back at Bruce, who was still down in a chair and watching the conclusion of the “Hulk Rampage” broadcast.

“Yes.” Betty told Scooter. “But I’m afraid that he won’t be able to handle the procedures.”

“Because of the recent incident?” Scooter asked.

“Mm-hmm.” Betty replied, and Scooter sighed over the phone in despair.

“I figured something like this would eventually happen.”

“I’m so sorry, Scooter. He was so looking forward to going through with this, just to see the smile on your face when he would’ve told you that pills were no longer required to keep your liver healthy, and it could take care of itself.”

“So…whose going to handle the procedures now?”

“I am.” Betty was able to suppress a smile, even though she was feeling a bit nervous about her new job. “I’m gonna get your liver functioning properly again. I promise you that.”

“Thank you, Dr. Ross.” Scooter said. “I just wish that my mom and I could afford the pay for the operation, once everything’s been taken care of.”

“What do you mean, Scoot?” Betty asked.

“I mean that our television program, Muppets Tonight , could be going off the air after tonight.” Scooter remarked. “Once we’re out of the job, we won’t get those paychecks to afford the operation.” Betty truly felt bad for Scooter when he told her that. She watched Bruce as he shut off the television set and went upstairs; when he was no longer in the room, she went back to speaking with Scooter.

“Listen…don’t worry about paying for the operation.” Betty told him. “I’ll see to it that it’s free of charge.” Scooter was very much pleased and stunned to hear that promise from her.

“Really?!” He exclaimed. “You mean it?”

“Of course.” Betty said. “We’re talking about your health here. Money is just worthless crap compared to what your liver is going through now.”

“Oh, thank you, Dr. Ross!” Scooter remarked. “Hey, how ‘bout we just go through with it all tonight? You just name the place, and my mother and I will be there.”

“If you say so.” Betty said. “Just meet me at the clinic, sometime after nine o’clock, and we should get everything done by dawn, okay?”

“Okay.” Scooter said. “Thanks again, Dr. Ross.”

“Don’t mention it, sweetie.” Betty said, and after she hung up the phone, she rushed upstairs and headed over to the guest room, where Bruce was at the moment. But when she heard Bruce talking on another phone with someone, she just stood by the doorway and eavesdropped on the conversation.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Bruce asked, and he listened as the person on the other line gave him an answer. “Alright. If you’re certain that I’ll be safe from S.H.I.E.L.D. and Ross, then just come to the address that I’d given you and meet me in front of the house.” He silenced himself for a moment to listen to the caller tell him something. “You’ve already sent someone to pick me up? And they should be here in a few minutes?” The caller told him something and he smiled. “Excellent! I appreciate your help. Goodbye.” Once he pressed “End” on the cellular phone that he was speaking into, Betty came into the room.

“Who were you talking to?” She asked, and Bruce just gave her a stern look.

“Someone that’ll make sure that I’m not bothered by anyone who wants to either destroy me, put me in solitary confinement, or run some tests on me to see how they could use my blood to develop some super soldier.” Bruce said, with a hint of anger in his voice, and Betty couldn’t help but to wonder if that anger with directed towards her.

“Bruce, I never would do…”

“I’m not talking about you, Betty.” Bruce interjected. “I’m talking about what the real monsters out there could do, if they were to find me here with you.”

“My father and S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t get to you, Bruce.” Betty assured.

“You don’t know S.H.I.E.L.D., Betty.” Bruce said. “Before we worked together, I worked for Nick Fury, one of the toughest and advanced agents in the history of our government. He’ll find a way to take me down; and when he does, he’ll use the technology that I developed for him to dissect me and tap into the one part of my anatomy that’ll end my occasional metamorphosis once and for all.” Betty was horrified by what Bruce was telling her; she just stood where she was in shock, as Bruce gathered the medicine he needed to control his transformations.

“Where will you go?” Betty asked him, as he gathered some of the clothes that he kept in the guest room and placed them in a suitcase.

“I can’t tell you that, Betty.” Bruce replied.

“Why not?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’ve put you in enough risk just from keeping me here in your home. If your father or Nick Fury were to start interrogating you to get to me, then they’ll start asking about my recent whereabouts. You can’t give them the proper information, if you don’t know it yourself, and that’ll just keep them off my tracks for a good five or ten months, which will be enough time to find a way to rid of my curse.” There was a sound of a bus honking outside the house; they looked outside a window and saw the Electric Mayhem bus pull up onto the driveway. “That’s my ride.”

“Bruce…”

“I can’t talk any more, Betty. I have to go.” Bruce gave her a kiss on the forehead, just before he grabbed the two cases that held his medicine and personal belongings and dashed out of the room. Betty kept her eyes out the window, as she watched Bruce board the Electric Mayhem bus and ride away in it.

“I love you.”

END OF CHAPTER FOUR​