Banner felt as if a steel rod had been driven deep into his skull and twisted violently, churning his brain into mush. His consciousness was hazy—he only barely realized that the Hulk had seized control of his body, leaping hundreds of meters through the air, crashing back to the ground, then leaping again, like some unstoppable spring that never ran out of tension.
He didn't know how much time had passed. Eventually, his feet finally touched solid ground, his body still swaying from the transition.
Miraculously, the Hulk receded. Banner's consciousness once again took command of his own body. But because it had been too long since his last transformation, the instant his mind returned, his body convulsed sharply before he steadied himself.
It was pitch-black. A room cloaked in absolute darkness, where not a single glimmer of light could be found. Yet Banner could feel it—that piercing gaze. Someone, hidden in the shadows, was watching him intently.
"Who's there?" Banner demanded.
"Heh, heh, heh… long time no see, Dr. Banner."
Out of the shadows shuffled a short, twisted figure. His body was disproportionately small, but his head—enormous, grotesquely swollen—dominated his frame, so mismatched it seemed like a cruel prank gone wrong, a doll assembled from the wrong parts.
"You may call me… the Leader."
The little man's cackle echoed in the darkness.
Banner frowned, question marks flashing through his mind. He carefully scrutinized the figure stepping forward, this bizarre, ill-proportioned man. His memory strained, but no familiar name or face came to him.
"Do we… know each other?" Banner asked cautiously, taking two steps back.
"We've met before, yes." The Leader's eyes gleamed with eerie light. "But at the time, I didn't use this name. Perhaps, if I told you another—one you're more familiar with—you might recall. For example… Mr. Blue."
A thunderclap exploded inside Banner's mind. His heart froze.
"It's you… Dr. Sterns?" Banner's eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at the man.
Mr. Blue. That had been the online alias of Professor Samuel Sterns, a scientist Banner had once corresponded with over the internet. Back then, desperate to cure himself of the Hulk, Banner had even mailed Sterns a sample of his own blood. He had once planned to travel to Sterns' lab in person… but everything fell apart when an unexpected transformation made him lose control—destroying a massive portion of the Avengers Tower and flattening two city blocks in New York.
Now, Banner studied the grotesque figure before him—Sterns, or rather, what Sterns had become. His skin was tinged green, his massive, bulbous head perched precariously on a frail body so thin and out of proportion that it looked like a stiff wind might snap his neck.
"Dr. Sterns… what happened to you?" Banner whispered.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sterns replied, his tone disturbingly calm. "I was captivated—consumed—by that power. Ever since I first learned about the Hulk, I was utterly obsessed. I researched everything about you. About your accident. About the gamma radiation that gave birth to such… perfection. In you, I saw the future. And in him, I saw my future."
"The Hulk shouldn't exist," Banner snapped, his brows furrowing. "His creation was nothing but a tragic accident."
"But existence itself is reason enough, isn't it?" Sterns smirked, his eyes shining with feverish devotion. "Why else would I go to such lengths to get close to you? Why did I beg for your blood? When I received your sample, I didn't hesitate—I injected it into myself. Then, I bathed in concentrated gamma radiation. I recreated your accident."
As he spoke, Sterns bobbed his oversized head, almost proudly, as though displaying his new body like a prize.
"You're insane," Banner muttered, stunned.
"Perhaps," Sterns chuckled, eyes narrowing with amusement. "But isn't genius often mistaken for madness? One accident gave birth to the Hulk—creature of ultimate strength. Another accident gave birth to me—being of ultimate intelligence. Since the moment the gamma rays touched me, my mind has been… unshackled. Thoughts flow with clarity I never imagined. Every problem, every theory I once struggled with… unraveled in an instant. Banner, I've never felt so alive."
Banner swallowed hard, his gaze flicking nervously back to Sterns' grotesquely swollen head. "…So, you're the one who broke me out of that prison?"
"Who else do you think could crack such a secure system in seconds?" Sterns sneered.
Banner hesitated. It was impressive, yes, but not impossible. In his experience, there were at least three others in the world who could break into a military-grade control system.
"So tell me this, Dr. Sterns—if you've already become some kind of super-genius, why bother rescuing me?"
"Ah. Good question." Sterns tilted his massive head, grinning. "At first, you weren't part of my plan at all. But then I realized… I might need muscle. And who better than a creature born from the same source as me? You are qualified to stand at my side."
Banner exhaled slowly. "…You do realize that the 'big guy' inside me isn't exactly cooperative, right? He doesn't take orders. He doesn't negotiate. He smashes. And if he decides he doesn't like your plan, he might just tear it apart along with you."
"Don't worry," Sterns said, grinning wider. He lifted his hand. In it was a small, sleek device—something that looked alarmingly like a remote control.
"I've already accounted for that."
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