Operation De-Hulk part 2
Chapter 16
Since the trip to the airport would take a little over 6 hours by car, Tony, Bruce, and Betty decided to drive in shifts.
The ride itself was fairly peaceful, especially when compared to everything else that happened earlier in the day, though Bruce and Betty were completely dumbfounded when during Tony's shift, he took them by a drive thru and ordered 3 of everything on the menu.
At first they assumed he was just joking, but after he paid for the food –making sure to add a generous tip for all the employees in the restaurant– and loaded all the to-go bags into the car, he explained that the boys' metabolisms required much more food than regular people, even more than Bruce who's own metabolism requires more food since the accident.
The couple just sat back with their own much smaller servings of food and absent-mindedly ate while being unable to stop themselves from watching in fascination and amazement as Gohan and Goten actually finished everything they were given.
Afterwards, they spent the remaining travel time casually chatting about various science stuff, like Tony's Arc Reactor, the armor, Gohan's visor glasses, the capsules, and the experiment Bruce was doing that caused the Hulk's creation.
Then finally, with JARVIS' guidance, they arrived at the airport.
As the adults step out of the vehicle to stretch a bit after being cooped up for so long, they notice both boys have fallen asleep.
"Should we wake Gohan up?" Betty asks as she grabs her bag from out of the trunk.
Tony considers it, but after factoring last night, he figures it's good for the boy to get some extra rest. "Nah, may as well let him sleep. I can carry him to the jet. Bruce, can you get Goten?"
Bruce hesitates for a moment, worried about being trusted with an infant, even if it's just to carry him a small distance, but he nods. "Uh...sure, though isn't this seat a little awkward to carry around?"
Tony smirks in amusement as he carefully scoops Gohan into his arms without waking the boy. "Don't worry about that, just get the seat out of the car and put it on the ground."
Curious about what Tony has planned, Bruce complies. He extracts the seat from the car and places it on the ground in front of himself. "Ok...now what?"
Tony walks over to Bruce's side. "JARVIS, stroller mode."
"Right away, Sir." The A.I's voice answers from the seat, then it slowly starts transforming around Goten.
Without waking the infant, the sling morphs from a booster seat into a functional stroller.
Once again, Bruce and Betty are stunned into silence while Tony heads to the jet, the stroller following him all on its own.
When Tony calls out to them, they pick their jaws off the ground and follow him.
Once they're all inside, Tony places Gohan on one of the seats, straps him in, and reclines it so the boy can sleep more comfortably, then goes to check the cockpit.
The stroller comes to a stop next to Gohan while Bruce and Betty choose their own seats and strap in.
Tony returns, has JARVIS change the sling back into a booster seat, straps it in the seat next to Gohan, then gets in his own seat across from Bruce and Betty. "Ok, J, we're ready for take off."
"Yes, Sir." JARVIS replies, his voice echoing from the aircraft's speakers.
The jet begins to move, and in a few moments, they're airborne.
"Is JARVIS piloting?" Bruce asks.
"Pretty much, our destination is preprogrammed, JARVIS is supervising incase something goes wrong with the autopilot." Tony answers.
Bruce relaxes a bit. "Good, if there aren't any of your staff here that could inadvertently eavesdrop, I can ask something I've been wondering about for a little while now."
All levity vanishes from Tony's expression. "About the boys?"
Bruce nods. "Yeah. I'm guessing the story about how they came to be staying with you the public was told isn't true?"
"Yep, we couldn't exactly explain the actual turn of events that brought them here. It's too unbelievable."
"Before we get into that, I have to ask...we're they abused?" Bruce grimly thinks back to the haunted look he saw in Gohan's eyes. He knows it very well after seeing it in his reflection for so long.
A dark gleam flashes in Tony's eyes for a moment before he explains, "It's complicated...their biological parents didn't abuse them...not intentionally at least, and never physically. But there was definitely neglect on their part, and in Gohan's case specifically...reckless endangerment that you wouldn't believe."
Betty spots Bruce's eyes flicker green for a moment. She places her hand on his shoulder, hoping to help him calm down.
Since neither of them say anything, Tony continues. "By the time they ended up at my place, the worst of it had passed. Goten was only around 7 weeks old, but Gohan...even though you saw a bit of how strong he is...he had to survive people and real monsters with similar powers ever since he was 4 years old. He managed to get through it alive...but it's definitely taken its toll on him."
They ponder over the deeper implications of that for a moment before Bruce asks, "How much can you tell us about it?"
"For now I've told you all I can. It's not my story to tell, but I've got no doubt Gohan will trust you both with it, so you won't be left in the dark. Besides, it'll be better to wait until we get your situation taken care of as much as we can."
Tony's expression grows darker. "If he explained it to you now, you'd probably Hulk out at least a dozen times...I definitely wanted to after seeing everything he had to deal with."
"It's that bad?" Betty asks.
"Even worse."
"With all the trauma he has to live with already, do you really think it's good for him to be doing these type of things now?" Bruce asks.
Tony glances over at the sleeping boys. "If trauma disqualified one from this, none of us would be up for consideration to be on Fury's super secret boyband. But Pep and I discussed this at length with him after Fury made us the offer. We agreed that it was his decision and we would support him in whatever choice he made...though with a few conditions."
Tony turns back to Bruce and Betty and he can't help but crack a smile at their expectant stares, urging him to continue. "We made sure he was agreeing to it because of his usual big heart and care for people, not just because he felt obligated to out of worry for my safety. He's promised to let us know if he gets too overwhelmed and needs a break from it. We reserve the right to bench him if we feel he's pushing himself too hard. And lastly, he won't be doing any job or mission solo until he's at least 18."
Bruce and Betty both nod in approval and Bruce comments, "Pretty good rules...though how is Fury gonna feel about such restricted access to the powerhouse kid who was able to take down 'the other guy' like it was nothing?"
Tony smirks and says, "Frankly, I don't care how he feels on that subject, because it's non-negotiable. He may have only invited me to join cuz he figured he wouldn't get access to my boys without doing so, but if he thinks I'll let him manipulate my kids into doing anything, then he's in for a rude awakening."
Betty smiles at how protective the so called 'Merchant of Death' is being of his children while Bruce asks, "If you think he could be up to something shady, why go along with this?"
"Well someone me, Pep, and Gohan trust trusts Fury, so I'm inclined to believe he's on the up and up. But if he's not, it's better to be on the inside, easier to get the heads up....plus if it is all legit, I have a lot to make up for...and I think this could be a good way to do that." Tony explains, losing his smirk.
Noticing the shift in Tony's mood, Betty tries to cheer him up with some banter. "I never expected 'the' Tony Stark to be such a big softie, is it because of the boys? Or were you always hiding it behind the smarm and charm?"
Tony chuckles. "What can I say? They both wormed their way in pretty fast, so I guess you can blame them for all this emotional honesty pouring out of me."
They share a laugh, then shift the conversation to lighter topics, like other potential activities they could do while in New York after they deal with Bruce's cure, and ideas for Goten's upcoming birthday party that Tony insists on them attending regardless of how things turn out with the cure.
Caught up in their conversation, none of them notice Gohan start to toss and turn in his seat, pain etched onto his face.
Gohan finds himself alone in what looks like Betty's living room, the TV is on and playing the news report about his fight with Hulk on a loop.
"What am I doing back here?" He wonders aloud.
He's not left to wonder for long. A familiar voice calls out, "Oh, my dear boy, we're here to talk about you."
Gohan turns to the direction it came from and finds the source. "Cell, why are you here?"
The Bio-Android laughs. "I just told you, we're here to talk."
Gohan glares at Cell and turns Super Saiyan 2. "No more games!"
Cell just chuckles a bit more, then asks, "What ever do you mean? I'm just-"
"Save it!" Gohan cuts him off. "I know this is just a dream, and that you're just my subconscious messing with me because this news report stirred up my insecurities!"
"Correct, clever boy as always. Though we both know it's not what the cameras captured that's got you feeling like this, but what they didn't."
Gohan eyes widen, but he quickly schools his expression back into a death glare and raises his arm, aiming his hand at Cell in a silent threat to blast him. "Shut up."
Unperturbed by the threat, Cell continues. "I mean, if they're calling you a monster for the love tap you gave Banner to put him sleep, imagine what they'd have said if they saw your little outburst with that General."
The TV screen starts playing his conversation with Ross and shows the dark look he had when he threatened the man, it was just like the look he had when snapped on Cell.
Gohan turns back to Cell and begins charging a Ki blast. "I mean it! That's enough!" He shouts, though the tremble in his voice doesn't go unnoticed.
"Spare me the posturing, Boy! Even if that worked, it's not gonna change the truth!" Cell shouts back.
Gohan flinches, lowers his arm back down, and shakily asks, "What truth?"
"Wake up, Gohan! You know full well that ever since I destroyed 16, or rather, since you let me destroy 16, that you've been steadily becoming more and more like me."
At the mention of 16, tears quickly build up in Gohan's eyes.
The TV starts playing clips of Gohan butchering the Cell Juniors, purposefully prolonging his fight with Cell to extend his suffering, and his take down of Obadiah, including last night's nightmare where he hadn't been interrupted and proceeded to torture the defeated man.
Cell shakes his head in mock disapproval. "So quick to anger, violently lashing out at whoever incurs your wrath." He chuckles. "And you think that you can help Banner with his rage problems? Talk about the blind leading the blind."
Gohan starts to doubt himself again, but then the TV plays his talk with Tony last night.
His chosen father's words of encouragement and understanding give him the confidence to declare, "No! I'm not gonna listen to you! I know I can help Bruce, and I know I can control myself! You're not gonna get to me, I have people in my corner who believe in me! I'm not gonna let them down!"
He closes his eyes, covers his ears, and hopes he'll wake up soon.
But even with his ears covered, Cell's voice echoes in his head, repeatedly telling him to wake up.
But slowly, though the words remain the same, the voice changes from Cell's to Tony's.
Gohan opens his eyes and is met with the Ironman armor standing over him. "Dad?"
The face plate of the helmet slides up, revealing Tony's slightly panicked face. "Kiddo, are you ok?"
Gohan nods. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just another nightmare...but why are you suited up?"
Tony sighs in relief. "It must of been a real bad one, cuz you powered up straight to Super Saiyan 2. You went all electric boogaloo and your excess Ki was starting to mess with the jet. I was gonna take you outside and try to wake you up before JARVIS lost control of the jet."
Gohan's pales and he quickly sits up. "I'm so sorry! Is everyone ok?!"
Tony backs up to show him Bruce and Betty with Goten in the latter's arms on the other side of the aircraft. "Everyone's ok. Just a bit of a shock."
Gohan stands up and bows his head. "Bruce, Betty, I'm so sorry. This has never happened before, my power has never gone wild like this while I slept."
Betty shakes her head. "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, right, Bruce?"
Bruce blinks then nods. "Yeah, no damage done."
Gohan flashes them a grateful smile then turns to Tony. "Sorry for the scare, Dad, you too, JARVIS."
Tony steps out of the suit, capsules it, and puts a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Little Man, right, JARVIS?"
"Absolutely, no need to apologize, Young Sir. But if I may ask that you power down, your Ki discharge is interfering with the autopilot."
Gohan checks his reflection in the window and sees that he is still in his Super Saiyan 2 form. "Oops, sorry."
He powers down back to his normal state, which triggers a fit of giggles from Goten.
Everyone looks at the infant. Tony strolls over to Betty and plucks Goten out of her arms. "And what's so funny, Monkey?"
"Uh-gain! Uh-gain Bubba!" The baby demands.
Everyone laughs and settle back into their seats. "Maybe later, Monkey, but not now."
As Goten pouts, Bruce decides to ask, "So what's a 'Super Saiyan'?"
Gohan and Tony exchange glances, but before they can say anything, JARVIS speaks up. "Apologies for the interruption, everyone, but we're about to arrive at our destination."
Gohan looks out a window and is amazed at the sight of New York City, but before letting himself enjoy the view, he turns back to everyone and says, "I promise you'll get a full explanation, but would you mind waiting until we get our business here settled first?"
Everyone's gaze turn to Bruce. "Of course, I don't mind waiting."
Tony and Gohan nod in thanks, and everyone prepares to exit the jet as it touches down onto the runway.
-Elsewhere-
"It appears Stark and the Saiyan wretches have arrived in New York." A small gray figure informs a familiar face.
"Yeah, and Ross' crew aren't far behind them." Stane replies with a grimace.
"I see your frustration my friend, what troubles you?" Baby asks.
"What's the point of this little game of yours? You know Ross and his henchman are going to fail."
The Tuffle nods. "Yes, it's more than likely the good General won't succeed in what he wants to achieve while facing off against Stark and the Saiyan boy."
"Well if you want them dead, why not just send me or one of these creatures you've got stored here to do it?" Obadiah asks, gesturing to a row of containment cells holding beings of various sizes.
He yanks his shirt off, revealing gray material similar to Baby's body grafted into his chest where the wound he received from Gohan once was. "Thanks to you I now have power like that Saiyan urchin, so I would be a better choice for this job. Besides, once Ross inevitably screws this up, he'll spill to Tony how he got the S-Suppressor and put him on the trail to discovering us."
The Tuffle smirks. "That's exactly why I'm doing it."
"What do you mean?" Stane asks.
"While it is true you've grown much stronger, you're still not enough to handle the Saiyan. It'll take sometime yet before your body fully acclimates to the gift I've given you, and during the time it'll take for us both to gather the necessary power to win, I want them to know we're out here. I want them to drive themselves mad in the search for us while wondering when and where the next strike will be."
Baby glances at his acquisitions in their containment cell. "I want to build up their fear of us over time with multiple, brutal attacks from our friends I have saved up now and the potential ones we'll make in the future while we watch from the shadows and learn all their moves. Then once they're at their mental and physical limits, that's when we'll finally reveal ourselves and destroy them in the worst possible way they could imagine."
Obadiah smirks. "I see you've really thought this through."
Baby belts out a deranged cackle. "Yes, I don't want this to end quickly like it did for my people when the Saiyans attacked us. I want to prolong their suffering as long as possible. So what do you say? How about we just sit back and enjoy the show?"