General Ross frowned as he looked at the big hole right in front of him, it looked like a crater. Like something big and heavy had landed there. "What does the radar say?" he asked.
"I'm sorry sir." A soldier replied from one of the tanks. "The biggest life form around is about the seize of a cow. There's nothing as big as that thing was. It must have gotten out of our radar range."
"Or it just died." Another soldier suggested and they turned to him. "Then there would be no body heat for us to pick up on." he reminded them.
Ross frowned as he looked at the grater in front of him. "If it did die, we also need to find it." he said. "We don't know what that thing was. Where it came from. How it came here. We must ensure that it doesn't harm any more people. It easily threw tanks and a number of my men are seriously wounded. Highly trained soldiers in their prime. They could have died." he stood up straight. "Comb the area." he ordered. "Don't let a stone get unturned and do not go in groups less than five. If you see the creature dead or alive do not engage. Stay at a distance and call me."
"Sir…" A soldier swallowed.
Ross sighed deeply then turned around to face his men. "Our first duty as soldiers is to protect. Protect the civilians whom never had anything to do with any of this." he stated. "What-ever happened here. We will contain it so it never reaches any city. And every man, woman and child going on about their day will be safe." he said. "That is what we are doing out here. That is why we are even here. Now I'm counting on you. Like I always do. A leader is never greater than his team. Now move out."
"Sir yes sir!" was the response from all the soldiers whom quickly divided themselves up in groups and four stayed with Ross who kept standing looking at the crater.
"Any words from Sergeant Blonsky?" Ross finally asked.
"No sir." A soldier replied. "Everyone who was in that control room are still missing. They are nearly done going through the entire facility. Not a single sign of them."
"They can't just vanish into the ground can they?" Ross asked annoyed. "Ask them to keep looking. Until they find them either dead or alive!"
"Yes sir." The soldier replied before taking a phew steps away as he pulled out his own walkie talkie to contact those at the facility.
"I knew it…" Ross muttered as he glanced up towards the sky. "It happens again and again. Man tries to play god. And then disaster happens." he sighed deeply pulling down his cap. "Yet we never learn. That is the tragedy of mankind." he muttered as he finally turned around and re-entered his own tank with his men.
Hours had gone by, the sun of Nevada had long since sunk behind the horizon and Bruce was walking… Still walking.
He had stopped taking note of the landscape, just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other without falling down.
Bruce had his arms wrapped around himself as he was shaking from the bitter cold of the night, his teeth clappering while he swore he could hear the sounds of animals all around him.
Each step was painful. It had been hours since Bruce's feet had become bloodied from walking barefooted on the harsh stones.
Finally, Bruce took one step wrong and he stumbled. He fell down the cliffs, rolled around and screamed before landing at the cliff's foot.
"Uuurgh." Bruce groaned as he laid there. He hissed as his hand folded into a fist… Why. What was happening? Why was it happening.
Tears were pressing on behind his closed eyelids and he hissed as he hammered his fist into the ground while he yelled. "AAARGH!"
He hissed as he looked up and then halted. His uncoming anger vanishing as right in front of him he saw… Flowers… Grass… Plants.
All green. Very green. Bright green… Unnatural green.
Gamma radiation promotes growth at an accelerate rate. Everything else was forgotten as Bruce looked at the plants with deep fascination.
Slowly he stood up and then followed the path. Suddenly he heard a sound from his left and Bruce twirled only to halt.
Right next to him was a massive scorpion! Not just your regular massive, it was the seize of a bicycle and green veins seemed to be running all across it.
Oh no… Gamma! Bruce gasped as he turned and started to run, only to hear the scorpion come after him and then other creatures.
Creatures from this very desert but now up to ten times as large as they ought to be! Did this mean… Did this mean that Bruce was closer to the reactor?
That was good. He could find out what had happened. And what happened to the others?
Yuri. Samuel. That kid… Betty.
Betty.
Bruce closed his eyes as he kept running, he heard the sound behind him coming closer and closer then Bruce saw it. An opening in the cliffs and Bruce jumped inside, grabbing a stone and pulled it in place keeping the animals out and he gasped as he stepped back.
Angry gamma mutants chipping at the stone outside. But… It didn't budge. Bruce was safe.
Bruce sighed deeply, then though he turned around to realize this was a long and dark tunnel going further inside opening up.
Bruce swallowed, maybe there was a way out if he kept going. Bruce sucked in a deep breath… And then he took his first step.
Inside it was just as cold as outside, water was dripping from the walls and Bruce shivered. Then he saw. In front of him.
A light! But it wasn't a cold outside light, it was orange and warm. Like from a flame.
"Hello!" Bruce called. "Hello is anyone there?" he asked. "I don't mean to disturb but I'm lost." he said. "My name is Bruce Banner. I just need to find a way to the nearest city or something."
"Banner!" a voice replied loudly.
Bruce's eyes widened. "Yeah…" he swallowed. "I'm Bruce Banner."
"Your fault…. This is all your fault." The voice hissed. Venom dripping in his every word.
"I don't understand." Bruce replied as he moved forward. "Who am I talking to? I don't even know what is going on."
"Your fault…" The voice said again. Deep and sinister. "We're like this. Because of you."
Bruce halted. That voice. "Sa-Samuel?" he asked. "Samuel! Doctor Sterns! Is that you?" he asked. "Samuel I can't see you. Where are you."
A cold laughter sounded through the hall. "Yes Banner. It's me… I'm here." Samuels cold voice stated. "We are all here. The monsters you created."
"I don't understand…." Bruce swallowed. "Samuel." he called again.
Then foot steps, a long shadow was cast by the warm light from a flame. A man entered, though even in sillhouette he seemed strange.
He seemed to taller than he was supposed to, but that wasn't the worst of it. His heard was large… unaturally so.
Slowly Bruce realized, his skin… His skin was bright green. His head, it looked like his skull had blown up to three times the seize it was supposed to be and it was filled with pulsing veins running from his skull and down his face and neck.
"Oh my god." Bruce gasped. "Samuel."
"Gamma. Doctor Banner. When coming in contact with living tissues causes accelerated growth!" Samuel hissed. "But it was safe right? Nothing would happen right!"
And behind Samuel, more creatures came. Odd and twisted, large and gruesome.
A smaller mutant stood next to Samuel, his skin grey looking exactly like the stones from the cave. His face dis formed. One eye seemed to bulge out while the other was covered by a growth springing from his forehead. "Bruce…" he whispered, and by just one word it was clear he had a thick Russian accent. His one visible eyes watered while his grotesque face twisted in pain. "Ziz was safe. Right? Everything went like ziz was supposed to! Zeh temperature rose and ziz rose… But then it didn't stop. Why didn't it stop!" he cried as he grabbed his large malformed head. "You said that!"
"Yuri." Bruce gasped. "Yuri I'm sorry! I thought that… I.." he tried to say as the Russian scientist hissed and let out a large cry.
"Ssssh." Samuel whispered as he put a gentle hand on Tolokovs shoulder. "It's all right. It's all right." he said in a soothing tone. "I'm sure Banner will find a solution. There is a solution right Banner." he looked up at Bruce with cold eyes. "After all. It was safe!"
Bruce gasped, his eyes filled with tears. "I… I'm sorry. I'll find a way to… To fix this I swear to you!" he gasped. "There has to be a way to fix this! I'm sorry… I'm sorry." he swallowed as he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry."
Samuel only offered Bruce a last cold look before he turned around and walked out the rest of the mutants following him and leaving Bruce behind while sneering and hissing.