Marvel Novel Series 11 - The Hulk and Spider-Man - Murdermoon

by Paul Kupperberg

  “Spider-Man!” Dr. Irvine gasped.

  “You’ve got a way with words, Doc, I’ll give you that much,” Spidey said. “Maybe you can use that skill to get yourself a new job once I close this place down. Don’t you guys know shooting a big firecracker into space is illegal?”

  Prof. Warner backed away from the Web-slinger, his face turning as white as his full beard. “Gu . . . guards!” he called weakly.

  “That’s not nice, friend,” Spidey sighed.

  “And totally unnecessary as well, Abraham,” Dr. Irvine added, recovering from the surprise of Spider-Man’s sudden appearance.

  “Why? You planning on beating me to death with all your diplomas, Doc?”

  Irvine reached into the pocket of his smock. “No, my fine webbed friend,” he spat. “But I do have someone at my disposal who is perfectly capable of taking care of you without my help!” He whipped out a small box, about the size of a transistor radio, and brought it to his mouth. “Come to me, my brutish slave,” he called into it. “I need you now!”

  “If that’s supposed to scare me, fella, forget it. I’ve had more mad-scientist types threaten me with more of their little toy terribles than you could shake a stick at and, as you can see, I’m still around to tell you that it just don’t work.”

  “Ah, Spider-Man,” Irvine grinned. “Whereas that may have been true with others, I can assure you that my monster is no toy!”

  Crrash!

  As if those words were a cue, the wall behind Spider-Man seemed to explode into chunks of flying concrete and dust. A ten-foot-square section of the reinforced cement wall that served to partition off the huge room was suddenly no longer there.

  Spidey whirled.

  Seven feet of jade-hued man-creature stood by the ruined wall, his massive chest rising and falling with each angry breath.

  “My monster,” Dr. Irvine chuckled proudly, “is the Hulk!”

  Hoo-boy! So why is it I suddenly feel like a kid named David? At least he had a slingshot to use against his Goliath!

  Eighteen

  The Hulk growled in anger as he ambled through the gaping hole in the wall. The man-monster’s emerald-green eyes blazed with hate beneath the primitive, protruding brow, fixing Spider-Man with a glare the Web-slinger could not remember seeing in the eyes of a civilized man.

  Only wild beasts!

  Spider-Man held up his hands before him and backed slowly away.

  “Hulk . . . hurt little . . . man,” the man-brute snarled hesitantly.

  “Whoa there, big fella,” the Web-slinger said carefully. “Let’s not start something that one of us won’t be able to finish!”

  Namely me!

  Dr. Irvine chuckled. “I wouldn’t advise you to try reasoning with my jade friend, Spider-Man,” he said. “You haven’t the time.

  “Kill Spider-Man!” he commanded into the small box.

  The Hulk charged the Web-slinger, his thickly muscled arms reaching for Spidey. The Wall-crawler held his ground until the man-monster was almost upon him and then leaped straight up, flipping effortlessly over the Hulk’s head and landing on his feet behind the big green man. The Hulk roared in rage and spun around faster than the Web-slinger had anticipated, his balled fist grazing the costumed youth’s chin.

  Spider-Man flew backward as if hit by a sledgehammer.

  Oh, momma!

  He thudded against a wall and crumpled to the floor in pain. Whew. Spider-Man shook his head and watched as the twin images of the Hulk merged into one and the loud ringing in his ears subsided. Maybe if I look upon this is as an educational experience it won’t hurt as much! The Web-slinger braced his back against the wall and slowly started to rise. Offff! And then again, maybe not!

  His bestial face contorted in rage, the mighty Hulk lumbered toward his foe. He aimed another powerful blow at Spider-Man’s head.

  Spidey ducked under the massive fist. It shot, unchecked, over his lowered head and smashed through the heavy concrete wall behind him.

  Now here’s a definite case of a boy who doesn’t know his own strength!

  As the Hulk reached down to grab his shoulders, Spider-Man threw himself forward and rolled quickly through the man-brute’s spread legs.

  But since I do, I’d better make it my business to stay away from those sledgehammers he calls fists! Anybody who can break through a concrete wall like it was so much tissue paper can do more damage to my poor little body than I care to think about!

  Before the Hulk could turn to continue his attack, Spider-Man swung his legs up and rammed them as hard as he could into the small of the creature’s bread back. The green Goliath grunted and stumbled forward.

  So what if Kidney punches aren’t very nice? Neither is having seven feet worth of really ticked-off green monster sicced on you!

  But the Web-slinger’s blow only served to increase the Hulk’s already prodigious anger. The green mammoth spun, bellowing his surprise and pain as he threw his body at Spidey.

  Spider-Man sidestepped the charging man-brute and grabbed hold of one of his thick arms between his gloved hands. The creature’s momentum gave the Wall-crawler just the leverage he needed to begin spinning around like a child’s top, whirling the Hulk about faster and faster.

  “Let go of Hulk!” the big green man roared.

  “Sure thing, tall, green, and ugly.”

  Spider-Man suddenly released his hold on the Hulk’s arm and the man-monster took off like a shot, flying uncontrollably through the air.

  Kersmash!

  The Hulk streaked like a great green missile into the side of the parked flatbed trailer, now empty of its cargo. The impact totaled the vehicle and wrapped the wreckage around the stunned colossus like a strait-jacket.

  And if that don’t take care of that, I don’t know what will!

  Growling deep in his throat, the Hulk flexed his mighty muscles and split the restraining metal in two.

  . . . I don’t think I know what will . . .

  “Now stupid bug-man is in big trouble,” the Hulk snarled. “Nobody hurts Hulk and gets away with it! Not army, not humans, and not puny little bug-eyed man!”

  “You wanna know something, Greenie? I think you really mean it!”

  A single, effortless leap brought the Hulk to Spider-Man’s side. A jade-hued fist wrapped itself into the youth’s costume and the Hulk yanked Spider-Man roughly from the floor.

  “Yikes!”

  “You,” the Hulk growled. “You make fun of Hulk, huh?” The big green man shook the dangling Web-slinger like a rag doll. “Well, Hulk is sick and tired of listening to your big mouth, bug-eyes! Even if voice did not tell Hulk to smash you, Hulk would do it anyway!”

  Voice?

  “You know something else, handsome?” the costumed youth said. “You’re about three times as stupid as I’ve been led to believe!” With that, Spider-Man brought one hand up to the Hulk’s face and pressed the button concealed beneath his glove. A thick stream of sticky web fluid squirted into the green giant’s face.

  “Arrgghh!”

  The Hulk dropped Spidey to the floor and began tearing at the webbing with his hands. The thick, viscous chemical blinded him and was beginning to smother him.

  The webbing came away from his face in thick gobs.

  Uh-oh. That’s not supposed to give way that easily—which leads me to suspect there’s plenty of truth to that old saying by Confucious: Never underestimate the power of large, green persons more than two or three times if you still want to be around for dinner!

  The last of the webbing pulled free and the Hulk snarled cruelly. “So bug-eyes is still here, huh? Bug-eyes wants to be smashed by Hulk!”

  “Truth to tell, Hulkie baby, I could live without that. In fact, that’s probably the only way I will live.”

  The Hulk charged in swinging. Spider-Man had to avoid those fists at all costs! One punch was enough to kill him. His incredible reflexes allowed the Wall-crawler to dodge, duck, and weave around the Hulk’s fists, stayin
g just ahead of the lethal blows.

  Can’t keep this up forever. I’m already getting winded while Tiny looks fresh as a daisy and ready to go fifteen rounds with King Kong!

  Spider-Man threw himself to the floor, rolled, and came up under the Hulk’s fists. So it’s time for May Parker’s nephew Peter to put on a few of the old defensive moves—

  The Web-slinger butted his head into the green behemoth’s heavily muscled stomach with a force that would have sent a dozen men reeling. The big green man merely grunted in discomfort and bent at the waist, but still, to Spidey’s amazement, stayed on his feet.

  —and then shift quickly to the offense . . . and I do mean quick!

  He fired a strand of webbing at the steel-beamed ceiling and, as agile as the creature from which he took his name, Spider-Man scurried up the thin line. The Hulk straightened, roaring in anger and frustration.

  The man-monster swiped at the climbing Web-slinger’s legs. Spidey swung his legs up and, on the backswing, slammed his heels into the back of the Hulk’s head.

  “Come down now, stupid bug-eyes,” the Hulk bellowed, shaking his fist at Spidey. “Bah! You cannot get away from the Hulk up there, bug! Anywhere you go, Hulk can go too!”

  The Hulk crouched and shot up into the air. The giant green missile flashed toward Spider-Man, twenty feet over the floor.

  “Don’t you ever give up, handsome?” Spider-Man clutched tightly to his webbing with one hand. Only have one shot at this so I’d better not blow it, ’cause if I do, it’ll only take one punch from him to make sure there won’t be enough of me left to hit the ground!

  Before the green-skinned behemoth reached him, Spider-Man released his hold on the webbing. He curled into a ball and rolled through the air. He landed on the Hulk’s back.

  Spidey wrapped his legs around the Hulk’s stomach and his arms around his throat. Plummeting as he was to the floor twenty feet below, the Hulk ignored the nuisance on his back for the moment. But as soon as his broad feet slammed onto the concrete floor, he reached behind his back, snarling.

  “Ha! Bug-eyes is even stupider than army! At least when Hulk smashes machines, they stay smashed!”

  “Yeah, well, we can’t all be Rhodes scholars like you, Hulkie,” Spidey said through clenched teeth. He was pulling as hard as he could against the man-monster’s neck, trying to choke the big green man into unconsciousness. But the Hulk had only to tighten his uncannily powerful throat muscles to make that move useless.

  Wouldn’t you know it? This bozo’s got a tree stump for a neck!

  The Hulk’s hands closed around Spidey’s upper arms and pulled him effortlessly from the man-monster’s back. He dashed the man to the ground.

  “Oooff!” Spider-Man felt the breath explode from his lungs. He gasped, trying to suck air into his chest, but the Hulk placed one large foot on his chest, pressing the Wall-crawler to the floor.

  “You bother Hulk. You talk to Hulk like Hulk is stupid and does not know what you are saying! You think Hulk does not know you make fun of Hulk!”

  “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” Spidey gasped. The foot pressed down harder.

  “No more talk, bug-eyes!” the Hulk roared. “Now voice says Hulk must squash stupid bug!”

  Spider-Man did not stop to ponder the mysterious “voice” the Hulk spoke of. Not while the superhumanly powerful jade giant was slowly increasing the pressure on his chest. He could not breathe.

  Gasping, the Wall-crawler grabbed the big, emerald foot planted on his chest. It would not budge.

  The Web-slinger groaned in pain. His oth—other foot . . . yeah!

  With his last remaining bit of strength, Spider-Man lashed out his arm and landed a resounding blow on the green behemoth’s kneecap. The Hulk’s leg buckled slightly and the pressure on Spidey’s chest eased momentarily while the man-brute shifted his weight to regain his balance.

  In that instant, Spidey heaved the foot up and the man-monster toppled.

  Gasp! The proverbial closeness of too much of that isn’t comfortable!

  Shaking his head and blinking away the black spots that floated before his eyes, Spider-Man rose unsteadily to his feet.

  The Hulk was already up and waiting.

  “Oh fer cryin’ out loud!” Spider-Man groaned.

  The jade-hued giant easily grabbed the weakened Wall-crawler and he squeezed the smaller man to his chest.

  “Hah!” the green behemoth barked. “Where is all of bug-eye’s big talk now?”

  The Hulk squeezed the costumed youth tighter to his thick chest, determined to complete the task that he had begun moments before by squashing this bothersome insect. Pains that had not yet begun to fade flared into fresh, blazing agony in the Web-slinger’s chest and ribs.

  Striking in desperation, Spider-Man clapped his hands over the Hulk’s ears. A tiny round object popped out and bounced to the floor.

  Immediately, the look of rage vanished from the green giant’s face and was replaced by a frown of bewilderment. He looked at the dark-blue-and-red-costumed man clutched to his chest and screwed his brow into folds of concentration, as if trying to determine who this was and what he was doing here.

  “Huh?” he rumbled slowly. “What kind of trick is this, bug-man?”

  The Hulk released the Web-slinger who folded limply to the cold, hard floor. Gasp! So that was the voice he was talking about! That was some kind of receiver planted in his ear with those second-rate Wernher Von Brauns on the transmitting end!

  Half a dozen men in orange jump suits ran into the room from a partitioned-off section of the huge hangar. The dark-haired man in the lead was carrying a bulky rifle with a small canister attached to the stock. Dr. Irvine, remaining behind the line of men, shouted angry orders to the technicians.

  “Hurry! Spider-Man’s dislodged the control device from the Hulk’s ear! There’s no telling who he’ll turn on now!”

  Spider-Man struggled to his knees.

  Unh! Even my pain hurts. Feels like about the only thing my ribs would be good for now is barbecuing!

  And even though I never considered myself to be particularly masochistic, I’ve got to attract the Hulk’s attention again and convince him I’m really on his side.

  “Hulk!”

  The emerald colossus had shambled to the demolished flatbed and was studying it carefully. He turned slowly at the Wall-crawler’s call, his confusion turning once more to anger as he saw the six technicians running at him with a weapon.

  At last he had something to fight that he could understand, even if he did not fully understand why he was fighting.

  “The gas, damn it!” Irvine screamed. “Use it before he gets his hands on you!”

  The armed man skidded to a stop not a dozen feet from the groggy Web-slinger and took aim at the Hulk as he loped toward them with bared teeth and clenched fists.

  Fsssssst!

  A cloud of gray gas bubbled from the nozzle of the man’s weapon and expanded rapidly to surround first Spider-Man and then the rampaging Hulk. The Wall-crawler tried to hold his breath, but the sharp stab of agony that shot through his side when he tried made him gasp in pain, and inhale the foul-smelling fumes. Almost instantly, he felt himself go numb all over.

  It took the Hulk longer to succumb to the grayish cloud—but not much. Before he had covered half the distance to the six brightly garbed men, he collapsed with a sorrowful cry of anger beside Spider-Man.

  The technicians waited until the gas had dispersed before walking, followed by Dr. Irvine, to their unconscious captives.

  “Now, how . . . ?” the scientist murmured.

  Mr. Pendergast, his secretary at his heels, rushed through the door to the center of the hangar.

  “Just what in the hell is going on here, Dr. Irvine?” he demanded angrily, his cold gray eyes flashing.

  Irvine shrugged. “I—I don’t know, Mr. Pendergast,” he said with a shake of his head. “Somehow Spider-Man found out about us and . . .”

  “Yes,�
� Pendergast nodded, his mouth a cold, cruel line. “I was afraid something like this might happen when he interfered with the New York robbery.” He sighed in resignation. “But it would appear that the worst has already happened and we are still in operation despite it. So I would suggest, Doctor, that we dispose of this bothersome insect and be done with the matter. My organization has sunk far too much capital into this project to let an occurrence as minor as this get in our way at this stage of the operation.”

  “Of course, Mr. Pendergast,” Irvine agreed solemnly. He poked at the immobile green form on the floor beside the Web-slinger with his toe. “And what about the Hulk?”

  Pendergast examined the man-brute with distaste. “The Hulk has served his purpose, Dr. Irvine.

  “Kill them both!”

  Nineteen

  “Countdown at T minus ten minutes and counting.”

  Professor Abraham Warner’s eyes went automatically to the digital clock on the console before him, confirming the publicly made announcement in the control room of the Niagara Falls complex with his own equipment.

  “Begin final system check,” he murmured into the microphone.

  The rows of computer consoles in the low-ceilinged room were all occupied this morning before dawn, two days after the bizarre battle that had taken place in the large hangar beyond this room. Men and women, their faces bathed in the sickly green glow of the television screens, worked tensely, each performing their own highly specialized task.

  The plate-glass observation window was gone, replaced by a giant rear-projection screen that showed an overhead view of the spacious hangar. The circular steel door in the floor was open, revealing a thirty-foot-deep well in which sat a fifty-foot-high booster rocket!

  A high tower stood alongside the rocket, fuel and telemetry lines snaking from it, attached to the tall, glistening silver needle of metal. The ship carried no markings on its sleek skin. An equipment package sat atop the rocket, protected by detachable shields.

  Technicians in orange-and-white jump suits hurried to complete their work in the hangar. Several small vehicles were parked around the pit.