Jack McGee was quite used to the destruction that he always saw in the aftermath of a Hulk sighting when he came to visit the scene personally, but this was a rare instance that caused even him to go bug-eyed with surprise once he saw it up close.
Usually the Hulk just did a few things like throw a couple of very heavy objects around, perhaps cause a few injuries, and ultimately smash through a wall or door. This had not only been surrounded by police and taped off like a crime scene, it looked like two Hulks had gone to war with each other inside.
Jack was able to speak to several witnesses before and after being forced to leave the diner by the police, unsure what to think of the newest information. A lot of people were claiming they had seen two creatures before fleeing, a black, wolf-like creature and the green creature he knew was the Hulk.
According to police reports, what little Jack had been able to glean from one of the more approachable officers, the second creature had still been there when the authorities arrived and fled the area when police opened fire.
They apparently had patrols out there combing the desert for any sign of either creature, though they hadn't found anything yet.
Jack was still intent on pursuing his leads on the Hulk, but he temporarily put that aside as he began to wonder about the second creature and what that had been. He was open to the possibility that there could be other strange creatures out there, considering he himself had not only witnessed but met a second Hulk once.
The Hulk was, and would always be, an uncontrollable and destructive force of nature that needed to be found and stopped. But Jack knew that the man who became the Hulk, whoever that was, apparently had the capacity to blend in and make friends no matter where he went. A rather likeable fellow, apparently, considering how many people he got close to seemed to clam up whenever Jack tried to press them for information… including people who could probably have told him a lot.
In the end, Jack decided he would write what he had observed with his own eyes, and do an account on what the witnesses had told him. There wouldn't be any pictures, except perhaps of some of the damage, but he would add at least a couple of paragraphs about the mysterious wolf-like creature.
It was possible that the other beast was an anomaly, something that might never show up again for all McGee knew, but… he couldn't ignore what so many eye-witnesses said. He also couldn't ignore the more excessive damage he had seen with his own eyes.
Jack would remain in the area for at least a couple more days to see what he could find. It was most likely that his quarry had moved on, yet again… but maybe this time, he would find something a bit more.
He could hope, anyway.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
They didn't get too close to the diner, although they were well aware of everything that took place there. They had arrived completely unnoticed, and they had departed just before the police and firemen began to arrive in droves.
A small team of professionals had been monitoring Esben and his activities for some time, working directly for the overseas benefactor who wanted a wolfman army. A couple of them had even worked directly under him in his underground facility, posing as passive and naive workers while secretly reporting to their true boss.
Those individuals had been fully aware of the explosives placed around the facility, and they had known when Esben set them to detonate. They had long since planned for such a contingency, and they had fled via their own escape routes, leaving everyone and everything else left behind to be blown up or crushed.
They had discreetly followed Esben toward Subject Seven, hoping they could capture the prototype since that would make everything so much easier… even if they had successfully extracted copies of his research.
In a way, it was possible that they didn't necessarily need Seven, especially since they had some of her venom. Esben had been thorough enough to take some of her venom before allowing her to escape, although he had yet to inject it into actual human subjects. As long as they could keep it preserved, they might have what they needed to change others into Seven's variation of scientifically, artificially altered werewolf instead of a regular, natural werewolf from legends.
However, Esben had been quickly killed by the one, natural werewolf known to exist, and another being had arrived on the scene, too.
In the end, the green creature got away with Seven as the police arrived, prompting a hasty retreat from the team.
They did attempt to pursue their quarry while steering clear of the police, though they didn't ever find the green creature or Seven. Overall, they weren't interested in the green giant and they probably would have attempted to kill him if they had encountered him, just to get at Seven if nothing else. The green thing had simply appeared… too strong and uncontrollable.
However, they did manage to find Dylan Hunter just as the sun rose. He was lying on the ground, having reverted back to human form, buck-naked and face-down on the ground with lightly bleeding bullet wounds that were slowly healing.
A brief deliberation ensued between the team. Should they kill him, or try to take him alive?
In the end, it was decided that they bind him and take him. This was not the werewolf they wanted, but perhaps there was something valuable to be found in a genuine, natural article. It was better than nothing, and their benefactor would have the place and the resources to keep him contained.
They would arrange to have any bullets or shrapnel removed from him, and have him transferred out of the country later that day. For now… they would accept their losses.
They had some of Subject Seven's venom, and they had Dylan Hunter, the only known natural werewolf. It was… something to take back to their benefactor personally, at least.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Sarah was sound sleep, snoring softly through her nose with her head tilted to one side.
David wasn't entirely sure where they were, though he knew better than to go out into the open quite yet. Thankfully, the Hulk had apparently deposited them someplace close to a small farm area, where a couple of the locals didn't seem to mind letting them lounge in the barn for a couple of days.
The couple who owned the farm apparently felt they were just a couple of passersby who were down on their luck, which wasn't entirely inaccurate. It would seem that they didn't mind having a couple of strangers stay at least long enough to get some rest, though they made it clear they couldn't stay for more than a week. David assured them they would be moving on by the next weekend.
Besides, sleeping on a pile of hay wasn't the worst place David had spent a night. He had even offered to help out in any way he could around the farm while Sarah rested. Mr. Hendel, the one who owned the property and was very much in charge, said he would probably find something for David to help out with soon.
Sarah seemed to be recovering nicely, though she had been sleeping heavily for hours already. He didn't doubt that the rest was needed after all she had been through over the last couple of days, and sleep was another thing needed to aid in her body's regeneration.
David would also keep his word and at least help out with anything the Hendels asked him to do within reason, especially if it meant letting Sarah stay and get the rest she needed. David had excused her by saying, on her behalf, that she was recovering from the flu and had sustained a hairline bone fracture that was almost healed.
Throughout the day, David kept a distant eye on her while he helped a few of the farm hands finish constructing a small shed they had been working on for several days, then he helped the Hendels move a couple of pieces of furniture in their house. They were apparently getting a few new pieces to replace some that were old and worn, especially since their youngest child had finally grown old enough to graduate and move out on his own.
It was something they had been planning to do for years, they said. Once the last of their five children moved out, they would use some of their savings to give their place a bit of an overhaul and make it look nicer when their future grandchildren would come to visit someday.
At the end of the day, David took a little time to start a fire in a designated camping area a short distance from the Hendels' house, using it to destroy the documents. He had read them as best he could one final time, but he already knew many important things from them, and he deemed them too dangerous to keep around. He simply couldn't trust himself to hang onto anything when there was always a chance he could become the Hulk and lose it all.
These were things that couldn't fall into the wrong hands, after all.
He finished what he was doing and scattered the ashes, then painstakingly put out the fire with dirt, water, then dirt again… lather, rinse and repeat twice, as he had been taught on a camping trip with some other boys when he was a child.
Then he returned to the barn, to find Sarah stirring somewhat.
It had been a long day and he was worn out, but he felt it was best to check on his patient first. "Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked as he sat next to her on her hay pile.
She looked a little annoyed as she picked a large strand of straw out of her hair. "Dusty, and I smell like a barn."
David flashed a small smile. "Well, it was the best I could get for us and you needed rest. They would have offered us something indoors, but the house they have for their farm hands is full and they ah… didn't want to risk catching your flu by letting us stay in their house."
"So that's what you told them I have," Sarah grunted.
David gave a slight shrug. "I think this is better anyway. You have shown that you have the potential to control this, Sarah, but I would feel better if you stayed in here… just in case."
"Well, this is still better than being locked up in a lab somewhere."
"Yeah."
"Is there anything to eat?"
David reached into the nearby knapsack and pulled out a sandwich, as though anticipating that question. "There's a few more here, made by Mrs. Hendell herself. I was waiting until you woke up to give you some."
"Thank you." She smiled with gratitude as she sat up and began to eat.
David waited quietly for the most part until she had eaten all of the sandwiches, trying to make her more comfortable with some light small talk, then he decided it was time to get serious.
"Sarah, we should probably discuss what is going to happen after we leave here."
Sarah looked him dead in the eye, though for some reason it was difficult to read her expression. "Okay." She looked like she already dreaded where this was going.