2014-02-14 - Enter the Hulkling

The streets of Brooklyn are brisling with activity. All sorts of manner of people mingling together as they hustle to their destinations. One such person seems to be in a little less in a hurry than the others. A younger sort, looking to be in the late teens, is hanging out at the entrance of an alley, head craning in, seemingly watching something. The alleyway is shrouded in shadow, but there's definitely something happening, as the scuffling of shoes on pavement is heard, followed by sounds of a struggle.

The teenager, with his messy locks of strawberry blonde hair, ducks into the alleyway to find a group of dangerous-looking boys approximately the same age teaming up on a solidary figure. All the protagonists are wearing similar colours...looks like a gang flexing its muscle.

"So, yeah, seriously. The basket is big enough for me to sit in. If you took out the candy, first," the purple-haired goth teen is remarking to the pretty latina girl he's walking down the sidewalk beside, carrying a couple cardboard boxes with steaming pizza inside. "It's pretty awesome. No clue why Uncle Clint isn't interested in it-- he just grabbed a couple things out of it and then said to 'go to town'. I--" sounds of struggling, scuffling.

Adam's eyes narrow. "If those punk little creeps are back, I need to remind them Brooklyn's off-limits," he all but growls, gesturing towards the alley the noise is coming from.

"I don't know. The things I've heard about your uncle... And he's getting a Valentine's basket from a construction company?" America considers this for a moment before deciding with a nod, "Seems legit." She knew of his and Black Widow's usual methods of getting out of situations. The noise in the alley causes her to glance over with a frown as well and she reaches out to take the pizza boxes from Adam's hand to set aside ontop of a mailbox for now. "Relax, we got this," she points out as she turns to stroll quite openly into the alley way without fear of what she might be walking into.

Disheveled, the object of the gang's attention, a scared 30-something man in a business suit and coat, holds up his hands in a defensive position. "Please! I'll...I'll give you whatever you want! Just...just don't hurt me!" From the looks of it, the four teenaged hoodlums already roughed him up a bit. The sleeves on the coat are torn and the knees of the slacks marred with God knows what from the alley's pavement. "Please...I...I have a wife at home!"

"Can't letcha go now...Not until we've had our fun." The four spread out, herding the obviously frightened man into a corner, like a pack of wolves. One of the four step forward, a cruel gleem in his eyes as he produces a knife from his pocket, the distinct click of a switchblade clearly heard. "Although...if ya give us all yer money, we might consider lettin' ya see yer wife again."

And that mysterious blonde? He runs right through two of the four criminals, positioning himself between the knife wielder and the businessman. "4 against 1? Not good odds. How about you all turn around right now and I won't have to take action?"

Adam grins as he enters the alley, hearing the blonde's words-- sounds like something he'd say. Only, you know, more badass if he said it, because... well. But the hoodlums? That grin melts quickly into an angry glare.

"Hey. Old guy. These are /my/ streets," Adam says with a cocky air of authority. "Keep going back into the alley, knock on the green-painted door, that's Mama Rosa's-- the mexican place. They'll let ya in and through the kitchen and out the front so you can get home. We'll take care of these twerps."

So he's half a head shorter than the shortest of those gangbangers. Adam doesn't care. He cracks his neck, watching the four of them, almost daring them to do something.

America rolls her eyes some at the talk of someone else in here. It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they do... Her eyebrows shoot up at the sight of the individual. A grin breaks out over her face, a rare situation indeed. Lifting her hand she smacks her fist into her palm. "Looks like the odds are still un-even," she points out. "Any one of us could take these four no problem. Might want to listen to the Mini-Hawk, though, and get while you jerks can."

As the older man rabbits for the green door down the way, the ringleader is frozen with surprise. Was he just told to leave? By a guy that obviously is crazy enough to bring nothing to a knife fight? The moment passes and that sly smiles twists into an ugly grimace as he realizes that Blondie just cost him his payday. With a grunt of rage, the knife is thrusted in sharply towards the good samaritan...

And snaps. But, the shock is not that the knife snapped in two. Rather, it is why it snapped in two. As the blade dove in, the teenage target somehow....changed. Immediately, the 5'10" frame bulks up, the skin changing from a normal fleshtone to a scaly green as Blondie transforms into what looks like a teenaged form of the Hulk. The green brute watches the knife bounce off his chest, the reverb breaking the blade at the base of the hilt. A green finger is lifted up, as it shakes in front of the punk. "Now look...you made me angry. I gave you fair warning."

"Hoshit, Hulk has a Mini-Me too?" is all Adam can utter as he watches in awe. "Righteously awesome. Bros, you done futzed up."

America crosses her arms over her chest with a grin as she relaxes her stance. A cocky tip of her head comes as she remarks, "I think he's got this handled for now. And naw, that's Hulkling," she informs all-knowingly. "But let's get this broken up all the quicker. Pizza's getting cold." With that decided she strides forward reaching for one of the other guys to grab hold of one of the other guys hoisting him up with one hand above her head. "Can you swim?" Simple question. They weren't THAT far from the beach... but really, odd question to ask in the middle of an alley.

As the ringleader stands still, paralyzed with shock at the massive figure now standing before him, the massive form of Hulkling allows for a small chuckle. That green finger reaches out and casually flicks the ruffian in the chest. A simple gesture...but one that sends the kid flying across the alleyway, slamming into the building behind him.

As the leader crumples to a heap on the opposite wall and another one hoisted high into the air by the latina, green eyes, narrowed to slits, shift to regard the two remaining, as Hulkling mutters in a low voice. "Who's next?"

Adam grins. "Yeah, can't let the pizza get cold--" he notes, and then explodes into a burst of motion, bolting into the alleyway...and up the wall partway before flipping backwards and landing heavily on top of one of the ruffians, elbow first.

Parkour plus the fighting skills he'd been learning from Clint. Booyah. The force drives the jerk to the ground, Adam landing on top of him with a whoop. "Seriously, bros. This isn't even breaking a sweat."

America sighs up at the one she was dangling above her head rather impotently flailing in an attempt to get away. With a shrug she gives him a bit of a toss in the air so that he arcs right over top of the rest of the mess only to impact, roughly, with the dumpster that she'd thrown him into. "Find a new job elsewhere," she states blandly before turning to look over at Adam with a nod of apparent approval. He was getting better. "Not bad. Might make a hero out of you yet," she teases lightly before looking over toward Teddy, aka Hulkling. "Hey. I'm Miss America, this is Raptor," she offers thumbing toward the purple-haired guy. "We just picked up some pizza. Want to come join?"

Big and Green glances over towards the duo, reverting back to the normal-looking form, with the strawberry blonde hair. "Sure...if you don't mind." As Teddy walks over to join Raptor and Miss America, as they were identified, the single punk left just stands there, almost ready to soil himself. As Teddy passes, he backhands the kid, sending the would-be criminal on a similar trajectory towards the dumpster. So...the strength isn't just with being green. "I go by the name Hulkling. I guess you saw the reason why."

"...sweet," Adam grins. "You like pizza? We got a couple pies. My uncle's gym is like, two blocks from here, we were heading there to have dinner, eat candy, and maybe play some video games." Fazed by the Hulkling? Hell no. He seems more entertained than anything else. "Nice to meet you, Hulkling." He once-overs the four goons and smirks, then starts backing out the alleyway towards the pies left on the mailbox.

"Because it sounds better than saying you're a Skrull?" America hazards though she does keep her voice down. Hulkling is fixed with a dark eyed look as she strides out as well with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her star spangled denim jacket which was a gift from the very same uncle that Adam was talking about. "The green thing does kind of work for you though. I'm not going to go ratting you out or anything, either. Just be careful about that stuff around his uncle," she adds with a tip of her head toward Adam. "He freaks out easy. Otherwise he's usually cool with a bunch of us hanging out there."

Blue eyes fixate upon America, meeting with her own. There is shock in that look. Teddy then quickly looks away, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Half Skrull. Not like I had a choice who my parents were." The voice is soft...gentle. Completely not fitting the image of the big mean green menace Teddy was moments ago. "Look, not sure how you knew, but I'm not stupid. I know a lot of people don't take kindly to me."

"Skrull... skrull..." Adam shrugs. "Isn't that the alien thing Clint has-- yeah. So, ixnay on the ullscray, got it," he says, lifting up the pizzas and beginning to walk in the direction of the gym. "Don't worry about it, big guy. We'll keep quiet." He doesn't ask America how she knows-- he figures she'll tell later. Or not. Maybe. Whatever, the pizza's getting cold. "You guys like salads? I got a killer one I mixed up last night, I think it'll go great with this." Yep. Teenage boy, and food.

America offers a small smile back to Teddy at the shock that's apparent on his face. It was just rather out of the blue after all. "I don't think you're dumb, chico. Just he seriously has an issue with the topic." When Adam pipes up to agree with her she lifts a hand from her pocket to gesture at him in a 'See?' manner. The hand swings down and over to offer to Hulkling though. "America Chavez," she introduces now that they were out of earshot of the gang members they'd roughed up who might want to know real names. "Interdimensional ass kicker. That's how I know you--Ran into another version of you once." She doesn't give details though. Instead she continues on, "And trust me, this world isn't much friendlier toward those from other dimensions than they are to aliens." Not after Kang the Conquerer at least. "So what're you doing out here, any way?"

The hand is taken, as a slight smile pulls at the corners of Teddy's mouth. "Teddy Altman. Pleased to meet you...again? I guess?" He shrugs. "Not really sure what the whole interdimensional protocol is for meeting someone that's met you before." He releases the hand, reaching up behind his head to scratch at the base of his neck. "I was just passing through when I heard that gang take that guy. That's it. Nothing special..."

"Nah, bro, that /is/ special. Most people just look the other way, or worse, help the bad guys," Adam flashes a grin at Teddy. "I'm Adam, by the way." No last name. That's a complication for him at the moment-- not being sure which one is the right now. "So, stepping up and doing the right thing, Avenging those who can't... you know... handle themselves? Grade A hero stuff, in my book."

"If there's rules to it I've probably already broken them all," America offers with a lopsided grin in return. When Adam speaks up with such a statement she actually flashes him a look of apparent approval. "It is," she agrees only to go quiet a moment as they walk. Already the gym was coming into sight and so was a respite to their walking out in the middle of the cold in New York. Finally she looks to Adam giving a shrug before regarding Teddy again. "Heard of the Avengers? They're lame. Want to join the Young Avengers?" A slow grin spreads over her once more only to add, "Being a hero is the best thing ever."

Teddy laughs. "Avenging those who can't avenge themselves, you mean? The Avengers' motto?" He shuffles his head...looking to all the world like a normal everyday teenager. "Yeah...heard of the Avengers. Almost broke into their mansion once. Though, since you know what I am, you could probably guess how I could do that." He offers another laugh as America comes right out with the offer to join. "Sure...why not? I'll join. Just as long as you don't expect me going around saying 'Hulkling Smash'.

Adam grins. "Yeah, no smashing. Tommy's already had to replace two controllers--" and then they are at the door of what looks like an old, abandoned gym. Adam balances the pizzas in one hand, using his other to unlock the front door. "Home sweet home," he says flippantly, holding the door open for America and Teddy.

America snorts at the mention of Hulkling Smash. "You would lose cool points," she admits before ducking into the gym. Her hand reaches out to flip on the light knowing exactly where it was at this point. "Great then, welcome to the team, Teddy. And on that note... I totally want a hot shower. I /hate/ cold weather. You guys can get started on the pizza and stuff," she offers as her hands lift to pull her hair out of it's ponytail. "I'll be upstairs. Save me a few slices."