Robert Bruce Banner. A brilliant scientist forever driven by both an introverted nature and a quest for knowledge. A man who hid his every anger and rage his entire life behind horn rim glasses, and the latest scientific journal. But that rage was alive, and seething. Forever Seeking an escape. And finally that rage and anger was given form and substance by a freak accident, caused by Banners own deadly experiment. Now in times of peril, the meek and mild mannered scientist is transformed into seven feet, one thousand pounds of raging fury! The strongest, most powerful creature to ever walk the Earth !

The Incredible Hulk!

Hulk #468

Enter Strikeforce: Freedom !

By Ralph L. Angelo Jr.

The Incredible Hulk Stares through grit teeth, as anger colors his vision a tinge of green. Before him, three men float in the air, while several more disembark from a just landed vehicle. The closest, and largest of the men is a Skrull known as the Ambassador. Mere moments ago, The Hulk defeated the Abomination, and the green gargantua lies a few hundred feet away, unconscious. A being leaves the vehicle, and seemingly dives into the ground, to reemerge next to the Abomination, where he places shackles of decidedly alien origin on the Abominations wrists, that immediately begin to glow.

"What do you people want? I just saved that city over there. Everyone knows it. Especially everyone watching the Super Channel Network, their copter was filming the whole battle."

"And they still are." The Ambassador continues, as he nods over his shoulder to the SCN copter holding steady out of range, its cameras still recording.

"So why are you looking to stir up something you can't win?" The Hulk growls.

"We are seeking to take you into custody to protect the people whom you might injure or worse."

"What part of me saving that city did you miss? Are those big green ears deaf or something?"

"Hardly, Hulk. But if you were not in the general vicinity, this battle would have never taken place at all. Millions of dollars in damage have been done. Who will pay for that?"

"Look Skrull, you're not even from this world, so don't lecture me about money and politics. Casino's have insurance, as well as millions a day in assets. That place will be repaired by the end of the week, and back in business in some capacity tomorrow. And, I saved them from total ruin. Now I'm leaving here, and I've had about enough of your stupidity. Get in my way, and you'll know what it means to challenge the Hulk. "

"And what of them, Hulk? What happens when they try to stop you?"

The Hulk follows the pointing of the aliens finger, and sees a small force of tanks and soldiers rolling in behind him, securing a perimeter.

"If they get in my way, or try to stop me, they get the same treatment they always have, which will end in the same way it always have. Them in pain, me free and leaping away. Your move." The Hulk crosses his arms and waits for the Ambassadors reaction, as nearby, Hayabusa, another member of Strikeforce: Freedom nervously bites his tongue.

His brown and white hawks suit hides his face in shadow, but the doubt he feels about this plays across his eyes for all to see. "What are we doing here? Has the Ambassador gone insane? The Hulk was defending himself, do we really want to get into a battle with him? His strength is legendary, and beyond comprehension !"

The red white and Blue Android known as Auto- Americans own mind races as well.

"Oh man, I wish Auto's own cybertronic brain would kick in again . It's been gone for months now*, and I haven't felt him even try to kick back in. I hate this hero stuff. It's just not in my nature. I'm a freakin' anarchist, not a damned holier then thou, elitist Super-Hero. Zemo should've just killed me instead of torturing me this way. If captain America and The Falcon hadn't saved me , maybe I would've just died, instead of becoming the human based brain matrix for Auto-American. This sucks. I got no beef with the Hulk. From what I seen, he was bein' righteous and just protectin' his back. Sometimes I wanna smack the Ambassador around."

*See StrikeForce: Freedom #3

Nearby, Trapdoor, grabs the Abomination, and dives back beneath the ground, to appear almost instantly next to the ship. "Auto, I need a hand pulling this guy back aboard the ship."

The Android looks at the Ambassador, who nods slightly to him, and then Auto dives towards the ship, immediately grabbing the Abomination, and hustling him aboard the ship.

The Hulk stares angrily, his patience waning to the point of nonexistence. "I have had enough of this foolishness. I'm outta here ." He leaps away, in a blur of power.

"Hayabusa, after him! " Shouts the giant Skrull.

"And what do I do when I catch him? Die? " Asks the flustered young Japanese hero as he races off after the Hulk.

Hayabusa spreads his under arm wings, and dives, arcing down then up towards the Hulk. He balls both fists up and extends them before him, rocketing at supersonic speed, to impact the Hulk like a human missile!

Ba-KOOM!

The Hulk is stunned! But more by the deed then the impact. "Are you crazy , kid? " He howls in anger.

Hayabusa flies away quickly, hoping he didn't break both his arms form the impact. "Even with my Super-Human strength, I hardly fazed him! His strength is incredible." Thinks the young mutant.

But the Hulk is not done with Hayabusa, as he hits the ground, and flexes his mighty legs once more, rocketing skywards as if he were a great missile reaching for the stars themselves !

"C'mere kid, you made a big mistake. You wanna play in the bigs? Then you gotta see what it'll cost ya."

The Hulk cocks his fist in mid air as he closes in on the young hero, who dives beneath the green goliaths savagely swinging fist!

Whoossh!!

"Sorry Hulk, but I will not allow myself to be pummeled by your power." Hayabusa shouts as he streaks away.

"Well that's to bad then kid. Get outta here while you can. You got guts. I don't wanna have to see what color they are."

The Hulk lands hard, cracking the hard baked desert sand beneath his feet, as he prepares to leap skyward once again . When suddenly a voice intrudes on him , mid leap.

"If Hayabusa's power was not to your level Hulk, what of ours?"

"Huh?" He turns towards the sound, as two figures crash into him with powerful blows, smashing him from the sky with earthshaking force! "

Ba-KROOM!!!

The android Auto-American and the Skrull Ambassador both unleash powerful blows, smashing the Hulk continuously backwards.

"We got him reelin' , Ambassador." The Auto- Americans youthful voice intones jubilantly.

"Continue the assault, Auto-American. If he recovers for a mere instant, all could be lost."

And as if to punctuate this, the Hulk grabs the Androids arm as it begins to sweep downwards again in a powerful blow, and crushes it with a horrible sound of rending steel. Then he cocks his left fist and unleashes a haymaker of legendary proportions, smashing the Auto American's blue steel-like figure miles away in a cartwheeling flurry of arms and legs !

The Hulk stares at the big Skrull, who stares eye to eye with him before speaking. "The kid was strong, but you're the main attraction, aint'cha green machine?"

"That is correct, Hulk. My strength is akin to yours. With Auto's help, I calculated your defeat in a matter of minutes."

"You calculated wrong." grunts the Hulk as the two opponents circle each other like two big jungle cats circling the same carcass.

"So be it, Hulk. Now we will see how the might of a Skrullian Eternal compares to that of the Incredible Hulk."

The Hulk merely smiles and says three simple words. "Go for it."

Ba-THHOOOM!

They clash in a powerful explosion of strength that shakes the ground and sends people to their knees a mile away. Nearby, the military's forces drop to the ground, bearing their weapons on both antagonists as the two jade hued opponents strike repeatedly at each other !

Ba-Koom!

The Hulks uppercut lifts the Ambassador into the air a hundred feet, but the Skrull immediately flies back towards the Hulk, hammering him with both outstretched fists, creating a furrow a half mile long, before the Hulk kicks him away !

Tra-KOW!

"Getouttahere!" The Hulk roars.

"No evil one, I will see you brought in for the mayhem you have caused, and the property destruction your rampages have resulted in."

"Evil? You got the wrong guy, Skrull." The Hulk releases a powerful left cross, that shakes the Skrull to his core! Knocking him from his feet once again !

Thoom!

"No Hulk, I have seen evidence of your rampages over the years, I know what you are capable of!"

The Ambassador kicks out at him once again, knocking the Hulk a hundred feet !

Ba-KOW!

"I've had enough of this nonsense, you intergalactic twit, now get outta my face !"

Ba-WHOOM!

The Hulk stomps down on the ground , HARD! Sending everyone, military, the Ambassador, other Strike Forcers, all into the air, and back down they land, equally as hard on the unforgiving desert floor.

"Now get this straight, all of you." He sweeps his arm in an angry arc as he speaks, above, the Super Channel networks helicopter continues to broadcast the sound and sights below. "I AM NOT A THREAT! ALL I WANT IS TO BE LEFT ALONE, LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE. If you continue to hound me, and mine, I will become a threat , the likes of which you have never even imagined."

He turns to leap away, but the Ambassador grabs at him one final time, striking him with the force of a small nuke! Forcing the jade giant back a hundred feet.

"You just don't get it , do you Skrull. I'm done playin' You wanna finish this on a hospital bed? Your choice."

"You are the one who will end up needing medical care, Hulk, not I!" roars the Ambassador

The Hulk and the Ambassador rush at each other one final time, as the Hulk dips beneath the Ambassadors right hook, which throws the Ambassador off balance, right into the Hulks own right uppercut, fueled by hours of rage and indignity!

Ba-Da-Ba BOOM!

The Ambassador lands like a rag doll in a cloud of dust in the near distance. Limp and unmoving.

Nearby, all involved stand stunned by the Hulks threat and proclamation mere moments ago

The Strike force: Freedom Skrull designed airship lands quikly near the Ambassador , as Hayabusa lightly touches down as well.

The man known as Libertad exits the plane, and runs to the Ambassadors side, as the big Skrull pulls himself painfully to one knee.. "We intercepted Auto, he is in the back of the ship self repairing himself, amigo. Tom is at the controls with Al, but I think we are muy in trouble." He turns his masked face towards the approaching General Thunderbolt Ross . "The gringo Generalissimo looks like he wants blood, ours."

The Ambassador levers himself to his feet with a grunt. "Let us begone from here, my friends and team mates. I have erred grievously this day."

They all step quickly into the airship, and quickly hover upwards, then the ship shimmers from view ,and quickly streaks away, as General Ross shakes his fist at it angrily .

"As if having the Hulk back wasn't trouble enough, now I have aliens and freshman super-heroes to contend with as well. Harrumph." Ross grunts as he walks back to his jeep, and leads his whole procession into the darkening skies, towards gamma base.

Back in Sedona, at Bruce and Betty Banners home, Betty opens the door as her huge, green husband has been replaced by a thin, tightly muscled, bare chested Bruce Banner.

"Are you okay?" she stammers out.

"Yes, I'm, fine honey." He hugs her tightly

"The Super Channel is calling you a hero for saving Reno, and for taking the fight out of the city with the Abomination."

"I'm glad someone's been getting it right lately." He sits down, looking troubled.

"What's wrong?" She sits next to him on the couch, obviously knowing her husband is troubled.

'He was coming out, Betty, I felt him clawing at me from inside. If I didn't get out of there when I did, there's no telling WHAT might have happened. There were enough antagonists there right now to have started a war that could only have ended in tragedy."

"What are you going to do?" she asks, fearfully.

"I have to see the one man who can help me, Betty. I have to see Doc Samson."

He turns his face back towards the TV screen, and glimpses a promo of Rick Jones sitting there with his wife Marlo, on the set of their new show on the Super Channel network, and he shakes his head in disgust. "And I have to see one other person too." He adds angrily.

Next: The city that never sleeps.