Ben tried to drive as fast as possible, but not so fast as to get pulled over. Elizabeth noticed he was driving much more aggresively than normal, "Are you racing someone honey?"
He smiled at her, "No, no. I'm just trying to get out of the car as quick as possible. I'm getting tired of hearing about all of my faults from those two in the backseat."
"I could go on and on Benjamin."
"Mother! Could you try and be civil. Ben was nice enough to drive you in with us so you could get a firsthand look at the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers, it's the least you can do to be polite to him."
Joyce blushed, she had long had a fascination with the Hulk and his overwhelmingly muscular and powerful physique. Her attraction to powerful men had landed her 3 wealthy husbands, but unfortunately none of them had the physique that she preferred. In fact all of them were in rather poor shape, but they made up for it in their bank accounts.
"I just want to get a close-up look for myself of the most spectacular male specimen on earth."
"Oh Mom, doesn't the green skin bother you at all?"
"Liz, your mother loves green. It's the color of money." Ben chuckled at his own dig.
Jackie came to her mother's defense, "Don't pay attention to him mother. Benny just has size envy." Both she and her mother laughed again at Ben's expense. Not for much longer, Ben thought to himself.
"Joyce, what would you do if the Hulk actually liked you, imagine that for a second. He just might like 52 year old divorcees with fake boobs, a face full of botox, and hair with streaks of grey in it. I mean, I know you're a maneater, but I don't think you'd be able to handle him."
"Enough children, we've arrived." Elizabeth cut him off, happy that they were there before their bickering escalated any further.
Ben hopped out of the car so fast, he felt like a kid on Christmas morning racing to get in front of the Christmas tree. He went around to the back of the SUV and got the case out. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to wait back here to get a few shots. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
Joyce and Jackie made their way to the security checkpoint up ahead, but Elizabeth stayed back with Ben. "I'll wait for you honey. Let them go up to see them by themselves." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his chest from behind, cradled up against him.
"Alright, that sounds like a good idea."
Ben engaged his wife with small talk as he waited for his in-laws to make their way through the security, and the long line that had formed to go and meet the Avengers. He saw them approaching the stage, it looked like a graduation ceremony as the attendees would walk up the small stairs on the righthand side and walk across the stage, passing each member of the Avengers along they way as they exited to the left. "Liz, look. Your mom and sister are almost there."
Elizabeth grabbed the binoculars that Ben had been looking through. As she was distraced, Ben opened the case with the gamma-siphoning device.
As Joyce approached the stage, her heart fluttered as she saw the Hulk standing there. He dwarfed everyone else on stage, including Thor. She was surprised just how large he was, as sheer power literally just poured through his physique. As she walked past the other Avengers in almost a trance-like state she approached the Hulk. She barely came up to the top of his abdomen, when suddenly a beam of light came out of nowhere and struck the Hulk. Instantly, his immense muscles shrank away to nothing as he withered down to a frail-looking husk of a man. Joyce looked at him with disgust, she couldn't believe that this was what the Hulk looked like in his normal state.
Panic ensued immediately as each Avenger went on alert to see if they were the next to be attacked. Ironman took to the air and flew over the crowd to get a better view, looking for the source of the beam that had powered down the Hulk.
Ben couldn't believe it worked so well. The look of horror on his mother in-laws face was priceless, but it would be nothing compared to what would happen next. He quickly reversed the gun's settings, readying himself for the influx of power, when suddenly Elizabeth turned towards him, scared by what had just happened on stage. She rushed towrds Ben causing him to accidentily fire the gun. The beam shot back in the direction of it's initial source, but instead of striking Bruce Banner, it hit Joyce as she stood in front of him.
Ben's heart almost burst through his chest as he realized that the beam went back to it's original power source. He had been so close.
Ironman saw the beam fire out again towards the stage and immediately fired at the source. He swooped down and grabbed the person that had fired the gun, thankfully it was in pieces by his feet so it would no longer be able to harm anyone else. Ben felt himself being pulled up by his armpits and was being flown towards the stage. The security had cleared the front of the stage, but Joyce, Jackie, and a few others that had been on the stage remained. The Avengers were huddled around Bruce Banner to make sure he was alright. "I'm fine, I'm fine he reassured them."
Joyce and Jackie didn't know what to do as there was chaos all around them.. Jackie looked up as she heard Ironamn approach the stage, "Look mother!"
They both looked up to see Ironman land while he was carrying Ben. Joyce and Jackie were confused. Everyone seemed to be confused.
"I saw this guy fire the gun that did this to the Hulk. Luckily, I destroyed it before he could use it again."
Ben felt helpless as the Avengers circled him, he noticed a look of glee on his inlaw's faces. "I was so close...so close to getting his powers."
Captain America approached Ben, "what are you talking about?" Ben looked up at him, he figured that nothing other than the truth would suffice.
"I had stolen a gamma-siphoning device from the lab that I work at. I wanted to take the Hulk's powers for myself. And I was so close, but before I could shoot myself with it, I misfired and it shot back out again and hit Dr. Banner. Everyone looked over at Bruce, relieved at how close it had come to someone else becoming the most powerful force on Earth. It had taken years before Bruce had gotten the Hulk under control, where he was able to maintain his own mind when he transformed. "There's only one problem guys. The beam didn't strike me again."
Thor looked around puzzled, "But if the power did not return to you, where did it go?"
Joyce smiled as she heard this. She couldn't believe her good fortune. It was almost too good to be true. Not only did she get hit with the beam, it was because of her insipid son in-law's mistake that she got it instead of him. "I know who got hit with it," she paused as everyone turned to look at her, including Ben, "Me."
Ben began to sweat profusely as his legs went out from underneath him.. He collapsed onstage as his worst fears began magnified. "NO! NO!"
Jackie looked over at her mother worriedly, "Mother, are you alright? How do you feel?"
Joyce's heart began racing with excitement, "Let's find out."
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