Hulk: Gray #3
C is for Cry
The Hulk is spending his evening out in the desert. Having just caught a desert rabbit, he begins petting it and calling it his friend. However, the Hulk doesn't know his own strength and accidentally kills the furry animal. Realizing what he had done, the Hulk once more begins to rage over the fact that he is alone in the world and how he is hounded by General Ross and his men who think he is a monster. The Hulk shouts that he is not a monster and slams his fists into the side of the rock outcropping he is standing on, causing it to collapse in a rockslide that buries the Hulk alive.
Meanwhile, the military has found Rick Jones and arrested him when he refuses to tell them where Hulk is. He is put in a room and questioned by General Ross himself. Ross threatens to bring him up on charges for trespassing on the gamma bomb site, and as well as an accessory to murder as he thinks the Hulk killed Banner. Rick refuses to talk, and when Ross questions why he would protect a creature that will likely kill him to, Rick explains that the Hulk doesn't want to hurt anyone, he just wants to be left alone. Getting nowhere with the boy, Ross decides to get some coffee and asks Rick if he wants anything, but the youth tells him to go to hell. Outside of the questioning room, he tells the government agents in the opposite room that Jones is a punk and will be until he enlists in the army. Ross is then confronted by his daughter who wants to know what's going on, but Thaddeus tells her that it's classified, even to her. When she asks about Bruce and the Hulk, he assures her that they have brought in something that will take down the Hulk and help them find answers.
At that moment, the Hulk breaks free from the rubble and leaps across the desert. Finding Rick's sweater abandoned among some tire tracks the gamma-spawned monster bellows in rage. Back at base, Ross starts to get rough with Rick to try and get answers. Betty rushes into the room to stop him when suddenly the Hulk tears through the wall to get to his friend. The Hulk frees Rick and tells them they must leave. Seeing that her father was injured when the wall came crashing down, Betty tells the monster to leave. Her words wound the Hulk and he calls out her name. Betty angrily tells the Hulk to stop saying her name because he doesn't know her. The Hulk is so hurt he grabs Betty and leaps away. One of the men in the other room smashes through the two-way glass to get into the interrogation room. Standing over Ross, he is convinced that what he has to take on the Hulk is definitely needed here. Elsewhere, the Hulk tries to give Betty some water but she has fainted again. Suddenly, he is blasted from behind and when he turns around he finds himself face-to-face with Iron Man. Iron Man tells the Hulk that he has come to take the girl to safety, and will hurt him if he has to.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Doc Samson, Betty Ross, Rick Jones, General Ross, Iron Man
Continuity Errors
Iron Man is depicted as wearing his original armor after he painted it gold, circa Tales of Suspense #40. However, for this story to fit into chronology, it must take place just after Tony Stark returned to the United States (as seen in flashback in Iron Man #268) following the events of Tales of Suspense #39. This is because by the time that Iron Man next clashes with the Hulk, as seen in a flashback in Savage Hulk #1, the Hulk is now green and Iron Man, while still wearing his original armor, had not yet painted it gold. As such, this is a continuity error based on technicality.
