Chapter 17
“I had just left my new girlfriend Vicky’s place when I got hit over the head.” The other Stark explained “I wake up, it’s daylight and I’m tied to a chair, with another me standing there, holding a metal baseball bat.”
Scott made a small grimace that Daisy noticed “I got picked on in highschool… got whacked with those a few times. Smashed more than one pair of glasses before Mum convinced my grandparents to pay for me to get laser surgery. Turns out it wasn’t on the dependent coverage…”
“Anyway…” Stark interrupted as Scott smacked himself in the face and squeaked out “sorry”
“As I was saying…” Stark continued “The other me said I had squandered my gifts… I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.”
“On most other Earths… you’re rolling in it.” Daisy said “You’re a, quote ‘Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist...”
“Well… I was always smart… but…”
He winced in pain and fell to one knee.
“oh God… I am so sorry.” Daisy said quickly.
“No… No… I’ve been like this for ages… I don’t know why.”
“Is he sick or dying or something?” Skye asked.
“Far as we can tell, there’s nothing wrong with him.”
“It started the day of the walls…” He strained before falling over completely.
“We should get him back to his room.” Rogers said, picking the frail man up and carrying him downstairs.
A little while later, Scott was talking to Banner about the inhibitor as the group had dinner.
“So this thing contains a complete version of one of the Iron King’s robots?” Banner said, holding Scott’s incomplete Driver device.
“Well, not exactly.” As Scott went into detail, Banner put it down on the table, fascinated by the story.
“Director… Sir…” Fitz began to ask Director Fury “Before… Stark was saying something about ‘he’s coming.’ Before he had one of his fainting spells… Do you know what he was talking about.”
“Me…” Evolt said.
“Scott?” Fitz asked “What?”
“I’m not Scott…” the alien said.
He held up his hand and tendrals shot out, stunning the others in the room.
“Dude, what are you doing?” Scott injected inside their head.
“What I came here to do.” The alien said as he turned towards Dr. Banner.
“Oh no…” The small man said as Evolt gave an evil smirk.
“You SON OF A BITCH!” Scott screamed.
“You know exactly the kind of guy I am… why would you be surprised?” Evolt said as a tendril shot out of their hand and struck Banner square in the chest.
“…shit…” Scott said aloud as the tendril detached, taking an amorphous glob with it.
The goo grew and formed into a person, an Asian looking man with Evolt’s device on his waist. Banner’s body shook and he collapsed into a heap on the floor.
“Still got a thing for that body?” Scott asked.
“You could say that.” Evolt said, his voice sounding like a normal human. “I did spend quite a while seeing Isurugi-san’s face in the mirror.”
“I though… you had it the whole time, didn’t you…” Scott noted “The Trigger…”
“Of course.” Evolt said, holding up another small black object.
“Guys… we’re screwed…” Scott said as Evolt pressed a button on the object in his hand and plugged it into his device. Behind him, they heard a moan and a growl as Banner climbed back to his feet and began to grow.
“Sorry, but… not sorry.” Evolt said as he held up his hands, only to realize one of them was empty.
“Looking for something?” Scott asked with his trademark smirk. He was holding the missing bottle.
“Give me the Rider System bottle…” Evolt said.
“Oh… I’m gonna give it to you alright”
Scott held out his hand and willed his Driver to him. He shook the bottle in his other hand, opened the top and rammed it into the center of the Driver, which began to glow and crackle.
“Driver online… Rider System standing by…”
“Think you got the better of me?” Evolt asked. He turned to Banner, whose transformation into the Hulk was nearing completion. “Get him…”
The Hulk growled at the command and stepped forward in front of Evolt, who made for the stairs.
Scott slammed the belt on and shove the handle into the on position.
“ARE YOU READY?” The device called out
“HENSHIN!”
The center of the belt ejected two tiny armor components, made near microscopic through Pym particles. They grew and expanded, the latched onto ether side of Scott’s body.
“RIDER! STRONGEST VICTORY! IRONDEFENDER!”
Scott cracked his neck and fingers as he got used to the new suit of armor.
The Hulk growled and sniffed at him.
“Easy there, big guy, I don’t want to hurt you.”
The big green monster just made a gurgling sound.
“Take a deep breath… stay calm…” Scott said as he slowly moved closer.
Hulk only gurgled again.
“That’s it…” Scott said
“Master… I would advise against this…” Talus said.
“What happened to you, you went silent on me?”
“I think being separated from the Zephyr caused me to crash… but now that I’m in close proximity again, I can correct the fault.”
“Close…?”
Scott finally got close enough to hear what he was trying to say.
“…ssssmmmmaaaasssshhhh…”
“…shit…” was all Scott could say before the beast pulled back and swung at him with a roar.
“…I told you so…” The alien computer said.