Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #41

Mar 12

Mar 12 Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #41

Poker Face

Bruce Banner has found himself stuck in the middle of a hostage situation at a convenience store in the town if Miser, Colorado. Outside, the local police have surrounded the building. While former hostage negotiation Lieutenant Sally Riker attempted to diffuse the situation, it has been taken over by Agent Pratt of the FBI. Pratt, however, knows that Bruce Banner is inside and is seeking to take him into custody, but has kept this a secret from Riker and her officers. Pratt thinks that Riker is going to be trouble but tells his fellow agents that they should place nice... for now. Inside his SUV, Pratt gets in touch with a sniper he has on the roof who is waiting for a chance to get a target on Banner. Pratt tells the sniper to shoot to wound so that Banner transforms into the Hulk because it is the Hulk that they want.

Inside the convenience store, things are getting tense. Harry, the man with the gun, begins to grow impatient at the police response and threatens to start killing people. Bruce asks why Harry is doing this. Harry explains how he spent his entire life helping people only to have his life ruined as a result. He has lost his job, been cleaned out by his stockbroker, and his wife is trying to divorce him. Harry wants to go out with a bang, and take people out with him. He then shouts outside that officers have 30 seconds to meet his demands. Sally Riker goes to Agent Pratt and demands that he do something to diffuse the situation. She offers her skills as a hostage negotiator and has no fears about meeting the perpetrator face-to-face. This is a great idea for Agent Pratt. He calls the phone inside the store and when Banner answers it, they tell him to let Harry know they are pulling out and sending in an unarmed officer to handle negotiations.

Outside, Agent Pratt tells Sally that they are here because "Bruce Smith" is wanted by the FBI and they are looking to capture him. He gets her to agree to trade herself in exchange for "Smith" so the FBI can collar him, he then tells her that he will return the scene to her. When Riker asks for more information regarding Bruce, Pratt tells her that information is classified. He then pins on an FBI identification badge to her coat to add additional legitimacy to the situation. When Sally goes in and tries to make the exchange, the sniper on the roof prepares to get Banner in his targets. Inside, Harry agrees to the terms and tells "Bruce Smith" to leave. However, Banner stops just outside the door and tells them that this is a trap, that the second the FBI has him they will kill everyone inside the store. Banner lays out that these are not legitimate FBI agents but work for a ruthless organization that will eliminate all evidence of their activity here, including killing witnesses. When Harry asks him how he could know all this, "Smith" reveals that he is really Bruce Banner. Hearing this from the bug they planted on Sally's FBI tag, Agent Pratt is impressed with Banner for making this move.

Harry finds this hard to believe and pointing his gun at Banner, demands to see the Hulk. Bruce tries to explain that the men outside want the Hulk and he is trying to prevent that from happening. When Harry asks Bruce about the death of Ricky Myers, he tries to explain that was a set-up and that the boy is really alive and he is trying to locate Ricky and clear his name. Harry pulls his gun back and asks Sally Riker what she thinks about Banner's claims. Riker believes that it is entirely possible since things haven't added up since Pratt arrived, especially after Banner gave Sally the code word that things were not good after speaking with Pratt. Suddenly, Harry recognizes Sally as the officer who failed to stop hostage takers from killing their prisoners in a bank in Denver. Sally confirms this, explaining that the sniper they had to take out the crooks accidentally touched his rifle to a high tension wire and needed medical attention. Taking the gun and trying to make the shot herself, Sally froze allowing the shooters time to open fire on their hostages. She then tells them how she quit the Denver SWAT and took a job here in Miser. However, she was contemplating suicide until she got the call about the hostage situation at the Ready Mart, and decided that she wouldn't give up on her duty.

Outside, the sniper still can't get a clear shot on Banner. When Agent Pratt learns that more officers are about to arrive on the scene, he tells his men that there will be a change of plans. Inside the store, Harry decides to believe their stories and they begin planning their escape. Bruce suggests sending the hostages out first, stymying Pratt, while they make their escape out the back through the store’s coal chute. After the hostages are let go, Banner, Riker, and Harry begin making their way outback. However, Harry foolishly stops to pick a penny off the floor. As he is remarking about how it must be his lucky day, he appears in the window and the sniper shoots him. Thinking that this invalidates Banner's claims, Sally pulls her gun on Bruce and orders him to surrender. Banner suspects that they were listening to their plan somehow and tries to convince Riker of this but she won't listen. Noticing that she is walking into the window frame, Banner leaps and knocks her down just as the sniper fires, saving her life.

Banner finds the wire that they planted on her FBI badge, and as Sally begins to realize what that Bruce is telling the truth, she also notices that he has been shot. Suddenly, Bruce beings to transform into the Hulk...