Chapter 1
Peaceful. A good word to describe the Bavarian countryside. Not completely quiet, thanks to the singing birds and babbling brook, but peaceful none the less. A slight breeze disturbed the walnut trees in an excitingly beautiful way. Deer, rabbits, and other woodland creatures, welcome in any bedtime story, crossed the travel-worn forest path with no worry of intruder.
High above this precious moment, change is coming. Falling hard and fast, escape the only explanation.
"Must. Get. AWAY!", screamed the falling mass. "Leave. Me. ALONE!"
Twelve seconds was all it took. The only casualty being that of the natural virginity that once belonged to this scarcely populated, hilly region of Germany's Free State, having only previously received the gentle foreplay of light human travel, none of which by automobile. However, it now finds itself violated by the unnatural.
If this was an animated, musical adventure, a quirky cast of forest furries would no doubt be investigating the large, smoking crater now located in their neighborhood, but that is not the case. Local animal population suffered a devastating decline, not due to extinction, but sudden, chaotic migration.
"No fair, Kurt!", whined Stefan, the young gypsy.
"You just have to be creative to catch up!", taunted Kurt, his furry, blue companion.
In what could technically be referred to as a foot race, young Kurt Wagner playfully "cheats" in quite an unusual fashion… he teleports. The trail of purple smoke puffs serves as Stefan's only guide as to where his friend leads. Split seconds at a time in each cloud, he catches a glimpse of a blue, three-fingered hand or Kurt's devil-like tail. A strange looking fellow, this Kurt Wagner.
"Give it a rest, Blue! You're not having to run like I am, you CHEATER!"
(Pfft!)
"Damn it, Kurt! You're going to give me a heart attack one day, just poppin' up like that!", stated Stefan. "How would you feel if –"
"Sshh!", Kurt interrupted. "I've found something!"
Kurt then took his friend's hand and in a puff of smoke they were gone.
There is nothing worse in this world than a "Hulk Hangover", thought Dr. Bruce Banner. Where has the "Not-So-Jolly Green Giant" landed me today?
"There's a guy down there, Kurt! Hey, are you alright?!", shouted Stefan.
"Oh, hello.", said Bruce. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen the "thing" that made this little hole would you."
"No.", said Kurt. "How did you get down there, anyway, and who are you? We've never seen you around here."
"I, uh, heard a noise, yeah that was it. I thought I would check it out. Dr. Br-Brandle. Dr. Chance Brandle is my name." lied Bruce on so many levels. "Where is here, by the way? I seemed to have hit my head." Another lie.
But isn't that Bruce's life. Hide from the blame. Lie to keep your cover. They blame you for what isn't really you, or is it? You created it, well, HIM.
Suspicion in the air, a sort of friendship was made. The gypsy, the freak, and the foreigner.