Heroes Assemble!

Honey, I'm Home!

Glancing up at the monitor set above the door allowed her to see into the next room without opening it. She sighed at what she saw. Really, it wasn't unexpected and it was what she'd signed up for. Sort of. At least, it was part of the job description and really, it wasn't realistic to expect that every one of these was going to be as easy as learning to ride a broom.

Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath, made sure that her game face was on and pulled open the door. The instant that she was noticed, she heard them, each and every one turning their attention to her and shouting at her. But, as they should know by now, she had absolutely no interest or intention of addressing them until she was ready.

Placing the pad that she'd carried onto the lectern, she activated it, settled her hands on either side of the deep cherry wood and gazed out over the crowd. And waited. It was an old trick, one borrowed from her old Head of House and one that surprisingly worked as effectively on teen witches and wizards just as well as it did on muggle reporters.

"Thank you," she said once the room was quiet and all there were seated.

After doing this for so long, it was easy these days to ignore the forest of microphones that had been set up in front of her as well as the numerous recorders and phones that we aimed towards her and instead simply focus on the people.

"At approximately half past twelve local time in Johannesburg, South Africa, there was an incident involving the Hulk which culminated in parts of the outskirts of Johannesburg suffering considerable damage. Thankfully, while numerous injuries have been reported, there were no fatalities involved in the incident. Already, the Stark Relief Foundation is on scene and assisting with assessing damage and clean-up operations.

"I am certain that by now you have all seen the footage. What you are currently unaware of are the circumstances that led to this extremely unfortunate incident.

"A short time prior to the incident in Johannesburg, the Avengers were on a mission targeting a black arms dealer. This dealer has been known to operate off of the African coast for the past two decades. He has specialised in selling weaponry to terrorists and rogue militia groups. The Avengers arrived at the site during the middle of one such deal and as such, a fight broke out.

"The buyer that was involved in the deal had a number of enhanced individuals in their employ, one of which has the capability to manipulate the minds of others. This mind manipulation was used on the Hulk, sending him into a terrible rage, a rage that he was trying to escape from. During this time, he was not aware of what he was doing or of the damage that he was causing or of the civilians that were being hurt.

"Please direct your attention to the screen behind me."

Here, Lavender tapped the pad in front of her causing side by side images of the Hulk to appear on the large screen.

"On the left, you can see an image of the Hulk as we know him. On the right is an image of the Hulk during the incident in Johannesburg. Please note the differences between the two images, particularly the hue of his skin. With the Hulk's unique physiology, it is easy to see how this mental manipulation affected not only the Hulk's mind, but also his physical appearance, which is directly linked to his emotions.

"I would also like to point out that this mental manipulation was attempted on two other Avengers, one of whom suffered minor mental trauma, while the other was able to fight off the invasion to his mind.

"This concludes my prepared statement, I will be taking questions at this time," Lavender said, wishing that she didn't have to.

Immediately, the room full of reporters were on their feet, all shouting their own questions at her. As she'd learnt to do, Lavender ignored them all, waiting until they'd settled back somewhat before calling on the first.