A/N - I don't own the Incredible Hulk, although I favour this incarnation; the First, parts 1 and 2, were the first over episodes I watched of this classic series, so it holds a special place in my heart.
Enjoy!
The End of the First.
As he walked away from the town, David was wishing he hadn't gotten his hopes up, but after the last four years of being cursed with the transformations into the creature McGee foolishly named 'the Hulk,' it had been hard for him not to at least hope for the best.
Ever since he had first heard of a creature like himself, seeing that photograph in the library in the town, David had held out hope, especially since the creature had just vanished, after launching a murderous rampage on the town, there was a cure. The creature's appearance had been a mystery in itself, but then it just disappeared without a trace, but it had left a lasting legacy on the town.
A legacy which had gotten worse with the death of a young boy.
Another senseless death committed by Del Frye.
David's face furrowed as he thought more about the embittered old man Del had been, his body gnarled and twisted by so many ailments and by acute arthritis…all the while dreaming of one day getting the 'strength' back. When he had first heard of the other creature, David had never expected to actually encounter the man the creature had come from. When he had finally reached the town, learning little bits along the way and learnt about the existence of Dr Clive, David was hooked. He had come to believe if there was enough of Clive's work still around, he himself might find a way of dealing with his own creature, believing the use of the last remains of his money would be worthwhile in the long run if he learnt more about the other creature, and perhaps even finding a means of ridding himself of his own, David had done his research, and learnt of the existence of the laboratory, and he'd found Frye, Clive's old assistant and Clive's former fiance.
Elizabeth had been a fountain of information, when she told him Clive had cured the creature, David had thrown away all of his caution in his desperation to find the cure and use it for himself. But he'd needed Del's help, but the old man had been barely helpful. It hadn't been until his transformation after he was chased by those boys, and transforming back into himself that Del became helpful.
It was then David learnt the truth.
Clive hadn't been the creature. Del had.
Del had killed people, both in his human form and in his creature form.
There was no way he could ever allow the man to become a creature again, but it had happened because he'd had been so stupid to not think Del wouldn't lash out to get what he wanted.
David knew it was his own fault for dismissing Del's problems, pitying the other man in his desperation, that had resulted in Del knocking him out after ignoring him about what the Hulk had done to his life. When Del transformed, David saw for himself the animal violence of the creature he'd become, remembering his own fears about his own creature despite Elaina's own views the creature was a childish sub-human version of himself, and wouldn't kill regardless of the situation occurring at the time. David just couldn't see it, and his mind went back over to the time during that mess with the model he found dead in her home following a transformation back before he shook off the memory.
David had gone to ground, immediately going to Elizabeth's; he hadn't known what else to do, and she needed to know how dangerous the man who was infatuated with her was. While he was there, David had prepared a second syringe of Clive's cure - he still wished the scientist had written up the notes detailing how he had found the cure, especially so quickly when he had so few resources; the fact he was able to do so at all spoke volumes of his abilities, and David wished the man had lived, especially with his knowledge and insights into what gamma radiation could do…
On second thought, perhaps it was a good thing he hadn't.
But now Frye was dead. The syringes were gone, and so was the cure. Elizabeth hadn't been able to recover the jar which had carried the cure inside it, and heaven alone knew what had happened to the surviving notebooks, which had survived the past. David doubted, after what Del's creature had done, especially in the store, anything relating to Clive, be it house, beaker, or notebook would survive.
Ever since he had begun travelling in search of a means to curing himself, David had been surprised by how…. Almost medieval people, especially in these modern times, could be; he had no idea what was going to happen to Clive's house, but he had a vision of a modern day version of a witch burning taking place, Clive's house going up in flames.
His work, his lab, everything he'd owned, just erased like nothing had been there.
David absently wondered if they were going to get a priest in to formally exorcise any lingering demonic spirit, but he pushed it aside, even though he couldn't help it.
Another opportunity to be freed, gone.
He had the opportunity to be cured, and it was ripped away from him, and even worse he hadn't preserved any of Clive's notes, but given how small his satchel was, he had a good and reasonable excuse, but he could have saved the jaw, still even if there was not that much of the substance in it left, there would have been enough for him to take to a laboratory in a university, or something, and he could analyse it, to concentrate and make more of the cure before he put out enough clues so if anyone else became afflicted with a similar disease to his own, they could cure themselves.
As he thought about it, David had to accept the logic. He was not unique, others through history had probably been cursed like he had. Del was proof of that, or what about that stone age man in that cave painting shown to be transforming?
How many more were there?
How many more would come after him?
What had happened to them all over the years?
David sighed, pushing those questions aside. He had learnt a great deal about his transformations and the creature inside him over the years, even if McGee's pursuit of him forced him to move on continuously, he had found out he was not unique millions of years ago, and he had just come face to face with a man who had murdered while being transformed into his own creature.
All he could do now was move on, and try again.