MEET THE PRESS, ORIGINAL AIRDATE - JANUARY 8TH, 1964
ANNOUNCER: This is Ned Brooks, inviting you to Meet The Press.
SCREEN: [A white and grey graphic is shown, with the words Meet The Press printed on a background shaped like a stylized TV screen.]
ANNOUNCER: Meet The Press, press conference of the air and winner of every major award, is a public affairs presentation of NBC News. The opinions held by guests do not necessarily reflect those of NBC.
SCREEN: [The camera cuts to a desk where Ned Brooks is sitting next to a heavily built man with a greying moustache and grey hair trimmed into a buzzcut, wearing a military uniform decorated with medals and a U.S Air Force symbol. Next to him on the desk, an officers hat decorated with four stars lies next to his microphone.]
BROOKS: This is Meet The Press, coming to you today from Los Angeles, and our guest is Thaddeus Ross, general of the United States Air Force. General Ross has been one of the most outspoken and vocal critics of the superhuman team The Avengers, especially The Incredible Hulk, who will be one of the recepients of the Medal Of Freedom in Washington this Saturday. We'll start right away with the questions, and first up is Lawrence Spivak, permanent member of the Meet The Press panel...
SCREEN: [Cut to a middle-aged, slightly overweight man with receeding blonde hair and thick glasses, dressed in a black suit and bowtie]
SPIVAK: General Ross, as Mr. Brooks stated, you have been the strongest critic of The Avengers inclusion of The Hulk among their numbers by a fair mile, despite assurances from both The Avengers and officials who have personally dealt with The Hulk and recently, there have even been allegations from some parties that your focus on The Hulk is the result of a personal grudge rather than genuine concern over national security. What is your response?
ROSS: The accusations that I am allowing personal feelings to affect my dedication to this country are absolutely scandalous, and I vehemently deny any sort of bias in my handling of The Hulk! As one of the first who encountered the creature upon his original appearance two years ago, I know personally just what it is capable of, and the flagrant, almost deliberate display of irresponsibility that has been shown in the handling of The Hulk since the Avengers formed is utterly appaling. And that this sort of behavior is to be awarded with one of the highest honors the United States can bestow, is simply unacceptable!
SPIVAK: But isn't it true that unlike early reports that the Hulk was more a rampaging force of nature rather than an individual, all appearances he's made alongside The Avengers contradict this? Just prior to New Years Eve, The Hulk made an appearance at a charity meet and greet organized by Captain America and Iron Man in Crown Heights, and all reports indicate that The Hulk interacted peacefully with any visitor who approached him.
ROSS: Mr. Spivak, despite my best efforts, I have never been able to track The Hulk every waking second, so I am not privy to every single action he's ever taken, but what I have seen is the aftermath of his rage, and frankly, even if he was anywhere close to a creature of reason as his so-called teammates seems to have deluded themselves into believing, and which I strongly doubt, it wouldn't change the fact that The Hulk is extremely dangerous! He needs to be contained and kept away from the public, not allowed to live in one of the biggest cities in the country! I might expect that sort of lunacy from Iron Man or Tony Stark, who denies important technology from their own government and endanger national security through their myopic selfishness, but from someone like Captain America, or the President himself?! They have a responsibility to serve their country, and they are willfully ignoring it!
SPIVAK: One of the strongest supporters of The Hulk have been the mutant Mister Sunshine, who's often appeared alongside The Hulk in public, and was one of the first to speak to the media about him. He's also gone on record as a critic against both the U.S Military, and you specifically, General. While he's recieved criticism from these statements, he's never retracted any of them, what is your view of him being awarded the Medal of Freedom?
SCREEN: [Ross pauses for a moment, his face twitching, before he answers]
ROSS: I don't consider the opinions of someone who won't even tell the public his real name to be of much weight, whatever other... heroics he may be partially responsible for. President Kennedy is of course free to bestow the Medal of Freedom on whatever recepients he considers worthy, but I question his decision to award it to a man who has not only slandered our brave military forces, but also a man who's face he hasn't even seen! This Mister Sunshine could be anyone underneath his mask, he could be a criminal, or even a foreign agent! What other reason could he have to hide his identity? The fact that he's trying to make the public accept The Hulk as some sort of harmless oddity rather than the menace the creature truly is, should be enough to question his motives!
SPIVAK: But General Ross, other than Thor and The Hulk, all members of The Avengers use masked identities, including Captain America, who you have spoken in support of.
ROSS: Captain America's identity is a secret for reasons of national security, and while I don't agree with every decision he's made, especially not since his return, his service record is as impeccable as my own. But the rest of The Avengers, what do they have to hide from America? It's already been established that Iron Man is some nameless operative Tony Stark deemed fit to wear his armors rather than providing it to the U.S Military where it could do the most good, which alone should be cause for concern. But Mister Sunshine's scandalous and unacceptable public behavior by far makes him the worst offender of the group! This man should be publically condemned, not rewarded!
SPIVAK: On a related topic, you've recently made a statement that the military should begin to push for the direct recruitment of superhuman citizens...
.....
Baxter Building, New York City, January 9th, 1964
"Can ya believe this, Stretcho?"
Ben Grimm leaned back, the specially designed recliner only creaking slightly as it adjusted the backrest, the reinforced steel bars beneath the padding shifting to accomodate the weight of the rocky form occupying it. Once settled, he turned his attention back towards the television, where a reporter was standing facing the camera, with the White House being visible in the background.
"What's that, Ben?" Reed Richards answered, bent over a desk at the far side of the room, his back towards the TV. Ben doubted he'd heard a single word anyone had said for the past hour at least, too focused on whatever gizmo he was busy tinkering with.
"Hey, can ya take a break from tha' dang tinkertoys and listen for a few seconds? I promise ya they ain't gonna run off if ya turn yer back!" Ben said, his voice tinged with annoyance. Of course, not that Reed needed to turn his back anyway, as the man simply turned his neck around and stretched across the room, leaving his body behind to continue his work.
"Yes?"
Ben blinked "Ya know, we've been doin' this Fantastic Four stuff fer dang near three years now, and it still weirds me out when ya do that..."
"I mean, what did you want to talk about, Ben?"
"Oh, ya know..." Ben waved one of his massive hands in the direction of the TV "Just watchin' them jaw about that ceremony tomorrow. Doesn't it bug ya at all?"
Reeds head stretched past him him to get a closer look at the screen "Why would any of this bother me, or you for that matter? It's an impressive accolade certainly, but we don't do any of this to be rewarded, and I strongly doubt that any of The Avengers do either."
"Eh, I know, and I ain't jealous exactly, but... I mean, ya know all the kinds of crazy crap we've been through as a team, fighting The Mole Man, taking that Doom freak down a peg, travelling through time, going to the dang moon fer cryin' out loud! And most of it, no one except us even know about, and I doubt they'd believe it if we told 'em!"
The reporter on the screen was now talking about the controversy surrounding The Hulk being one of the members awarded the medal, and Ben felt a tiny, bitter part of himself, one he would never admit to, felt that small part fill with resentment over the fact that his "fellow freak", as Johnny had once so eloquently put it, was no longer the total pariah he had been. For the most part, Ben was happy for him, because their shared fate wasn't something he'd wish on his worst enemy... well, except maybe for that tin crackpot Doom, but still, there was that tiny, nagging voice that felt angry that there was no longer a bigger outcast than himself out there. That Ben Grimm was no longer the "good monster". That there was no longer someone worse off that he could look at and feel better about his own personal hell.
And Ben Grimm felt the familiar self-loathing roil inside his chest.
His miserable thoughts were interrupted when a familiar voice spoke from the living room door "You know Reed, never thought I'd say this, but I think old Ben has a point!" Johnny Storm said as he walked in, still dressed in his blue costume, with a motorcycle jacket worn on top. "I mean, come on, they're giving Spider-Man a medal! SPIDER-MAN! The guy broke into our house once!"
"It was just a misunderstanding, Johnny, and mistakes were made on both sides" Reed answered mildly as his neck began to retract back towards his body "I admit I'm glad to see Spider-Man found a place for himself among The Avengers, we only met him briefly, but he struck me as a young man in dire need for some sort of guidance. I regret it wasn't something we could offer him, but considering what he's accomplished along with his new teammates, I believe he's found what he was looking for."
"What, a paycheck?" Ben grumbled "That's all he was yappin' about when he busted in here..."
"Eh, maybe you're right, Reed" Johnny said, leaning against the doorframe as he watched the TV screen "Still, look at that outfit of his! I mean, the spider thing is bad enough, but then he's got the mask with those creepy eyes on it, it's like he's trying to scare the babes away! Ohhh, maybe he's all gross and deformed under there! Like, maybe he's got a bunch of eyes or fangs like an actual spider!"
"Eeech, now yer grossin' ME out, matchstick!" Ben said "Why don't ya make yerself useful and turn up the volume, I'm tryin' to listen to this junk!"
"Ah, get off your rocky behind and do it yourself!" Ben was about to respond when he felt the familiar heat of one of Johnny's flame sparks on the back of his neck. It didn't do much against his rocky skin, but it was the principle of the thing, damnit! Ben quickly got to his feet, the recliner groaning at the sudden shift in weight, all thoughts about The Avengers forgotten.
"Oh that's it, yer gettin' a poundin' ya ain't never forgettin', flame head!"
Reed Richards gave a long-weary sigh "Children, please take it outside, these are delicate instruments, and they're difficult enough to calibrate without having to take your brawling into account..."
.....
The Offices of The Daily Bugle, Janurary 9th, 13:30 PM, 1964
"WHERE THE SAM HILL IS PARKER?!!"
Betty Brant winced, her hands pausing above the typewriter at the familiar voice hollering from behind her, the words only slightly muffled by the office walls.
"Wait of it..." she thought, and sure enough, the words were soon followed by the slam of the door, followed by the overpowering stench of cigar smoke heralding the arrival of J. Jonah Jameson.
"Hey, I asked a question, has anyone seen Parker?!" Jameson shouted to no one in particular as he stood in the entrance to his own office, looking out across the editing room. "Don't just stand there and gawk like a bunch of yokels, answer me!"
"Um, Mr. Jameson..?" Betty said, drawing her boss's attention towards her "Peter hasn't been in this week, remember?"
Jameson paused for a moment, like he was only just now remembering that particular issue, before quickly resuming his ranting "Well, where on Earth is he then?! Does he even know what deadlines are?! We need someone on the ground up in Washington by tomorrow, and I need to get him up there on the double! Get him on the line, and tell him to get down here in 15 minutes or he'll be looking for a new job!"
"Mr. Jameson, Peter told you he can't do as many assignments for you as he used to last time he dropped off his photos, remember? He specifically said he wouldn't be availible this week at all because of his new job."
"It's true, Jonah, he told me the same thing" Robbie Robertson said as he walked around the corner, holding a stack of papers under one arm and a cup of coffee in the other "Considering that he told both of us at the same time, I'm a little surprised you don't remember it."
"Bah, I run a newspaper, I don't have time to keep track of every little detail!" Jameson snarled through a cloud of smoke "I can't believe that boy! Ungrateful brat, is this the thanks I get for employing him, paying him for those little pictures of his? He just up and bails on me the second he gets a chance?! Irresponsible, that's what it is! Not like in my day, oh no, we had a little thing called loyalty!"
Betty and Robbie shared a long-suffering look. Not that Jameson noticed, as he continued ranting, not even paying attention to his unwilling audience.
"It's my own fault, I'm too nice a guy! People take advantage of us! Well, that's going to change, I tell you right now! The next time Parker walks in through those doors, I want you to send him to me first thing, I'm really going to let him have an earful!"
Betty sighed "Yes, sir..."
That seemed to be the end of it, as Jameson turned back towards his office, only to be interrupted by Robbie clearing his throat.
"Jonah, the assignment?"
"Eh? Oh, right, put Ned Leeds on it, he can take his own danged photos for once. The Bugle isn't going to miss out on a story like this just because Parker called it quits! Oh, and tell Leeds if he screws this up, he'll be mailing his next story from the unemployment office!"
Jameson stalked away, slamming the door shut, leaving only the lingering smell of his cigar and the echoes of his tirade hanging over the office, which slowly began to drift back to their assignments. Robbie simply shook his head, placing the papers he'd been carrying on Betty's desk and walked away.
Betty briefly wondered if there were any other open jobs wherever Peter had managed to escape to.