In the Roland family estate, Laffey in white stockings hugged a file and stared at it. The file was collected by the intelligence team of the Church of Holy Light at Effie's request. The order had come from Roland Phils himself.
"One year ago, an explosion happened in the Calvert University laboratory. Someone saw a green creature on campus. Many injured were found in the lab. That green creature escaped and disappeared. But one week ago, someone spotted this creature in Brazil," the file read.
"Commander, who is the green creature in this file? Why do you want Laffey to go catch him?" Laffey asked, drinking and sounding listless. Lately she had been addicted to card games and could not stop. Now, suddenly ordered to go to faraway Brazil, she pouted and acted spoiled. Roland smiled, knowing Laffey was a little trickster. He waved, and Laffey crawled into his arms like a human pillow, letting him squeeze and play with her.
"You little brat, you are getting bolder. Not listening to me now?" Roland teased as he pinched Laffey's chubby face.
"Commander, Laffey would never dare," she said, nestling against him and giggling.
"Are you pretending not to dare? You sleepy little drunk, drink less from now on. You are not being sent to capture him. You are to pick him up and bring him back," Roland explained.
"Bring him back?" Laffey asked, confused.
Effie laughed and explained, "That green fellow's real name is Bruce Banner. He was a biology PhD who absorbed too much gamma radiation in an accident. He turns into a terrifying green monster when he gets angry. He has been tormented by this and has long wanted to become human again. A week ago he contacted our Church of Holy Light and asked for refuge. He agreed to give something your master wants as a trade. That is why the commander sent you, because another force is looking for him."
"So that means I might get to fight?" Laffey, usually lazy and listless, showed rare excitement. Among the ship girls, Laffey was the weakest, ranked as an 8th tier legendary. She wanted to grow stronger like her sisters. To get stronger she needed battles. That was why she had been craving fights recently, and news of a fight made her thrilled.
"Yes," Effie nodded.
"Great, gulp gulp, I'm going to kill the enemy," Laffey jumped out of Roland's arms and downed her drink. Her cheerful eagerness clashed with her lazy face.
Fort Johnson, Florida swamps.
A black officer reported to General Ross, who wore camouflage, "I found the nation's top soldiers for you. One ace is Imi Brlonski, from White Bear. He grew up in Eagle Country and was loaned from the Royal Marines to special forces."
Ross scanned Brlonski's file and said, "I know you used some contacts to pull this together. Thank you."
"I am glad to help. I hope the mission succeeds," the officer smiled.
At that moment a not very tall man stepped down from a helicopter. Guided by a female officer, he boarded a transport plane. Ross bade farewell to the black officer and hurried toward the transport to leave for Brazil.
On the plane, the female officer handed out intel on the green giant. "This is an arrest mission. You must capture him alive. Use tranquilizer guns, only fire if absolutely necessary. Local police will assist, but don't spook him," she instructed.
"Will he resist?" Brlonski asked while reading the file.
Before the female officer could answer, General Ross, seated at the front, looked grim and said, "The target is a fugitive evading U.S. authorities. He stole military secrets and is suspected of killing two scientists, an officer, a Florida state cop, and two Canadian hunters. Don't wait for him to resist. Tranquilize him and bring him back."
In a slum near Porto, Brazil, Banner was lying in bed when his computer pinged. He jumped up. It was a message from the Church of Holy Light.
Since escaping General Ross's last pursuit, Banner had been hiding here. He worked temporary shifts at a beverage factory while searching for a cure for his gamma condition. He had been in contact with a biomedical expert nicknamed Blue. A few days earlier he had sent his blood sample to Blue. Blue received it, analyzed it, and said he could cure Banner, but he needed more data: cellular infection levels, gamma concentration, and so on. Banner could not provide that data because the records were not with him, they were with his girlfriend back in the United States. He had to return, but the U.S. was a forbidden land for him now, he would be arrested on entry.
Desperate, he thought of the Church of Holy Light, which had gained fame after the demon incident. After seeing their power, he had felt a strange trust in them. He decided to take a chance and contact them. To his surprise, their leaders agreed to help, for the price of one vial of his blood. For a cure, he would pay any price, even one vial of blood. That led to the current situation.
What surprised him most was that the Church's message told him to run, not to come. While Banner was still processing the message, his small black dog jumped onto his bed and whimpered in panic. Alarmed, Banner packed his bag and crawled out the window.
He climbed to a neighbor's window and found the woman inside was taking a shower. She screamed when she saw him. To avoid alerting enemies, Banner changed plans and jumped into the woman's room to stop her screams. Outside the door, General Ross and a team had already reached Banner's place. They watched through a peephole camera. On their monitors, Banner appeared to be asleep in bed.
Ross ordered the door blown open and the arrest executed. With a bang the door exploded. Four or five special forces stormed in and fired tranquilizer darts at the bed. When they approached, they found only pillows. Banner had escaped.
"Damn it, the target is fleeing!" Brlonski growled.
"Where did he go?" Ross barked from the command vehicle.
"Ground level!" Brlonski saw a rope hanging down near the window.
"Go, go, go!" the team chased out.
The woman gave Banner a look to signal it was safe. Banner thanked her with a kiss and pulled on his cap to slip away. But as he stepped outside, Brlonski spotted him.
"Fuck, a pack of damn mad dogs!" Banner yelled and ran.
Special forces chased him hard. If Banner's heart rate rose above 200, he would lose reason and become the green monster. He dreaded that more than anything.
As he fled, he ran into some local toughs he had a feud with. They sneered and approached.
"Hey you effeminate Sam-country boy. Not staying home to let someone take your butt? You want to die out here?" one jeered.
"This is not your country. You think you can stay arrogant? You stole my girl, today you die," another said, fists clenched.
Banner had no time to argue. The pursuers were closing in. He struck first, punching the ringleader in the eye, then kicked him down. He did not linger. He ran on.
The ringleader roared, "Fuck you, chase him. I will kill this faggot!"
Banner sprinted into the factory where he worked. The layout was complex. He hoped to lose his pursuers in the maze. But the locals also knew the factory well. They cornered him in a dead end. He had nowhere to run.
"No, please, don't make me angry. If I get angry I become very bad," Banner pleaded in clumsy Portuguese.
The bald thug laughed, "You get angry and become bad? I get angry and I'm the bad one." He punched Banner hard. Banner gasped in pain.
"Stop or something very bad will happen," Banner warned. He tried to control his breathing and emotions, using techniques taught by a jiu-jitsu master to avoid transforming.
The thugs only grew bolder and hit him again. Banner collapsed. He saw his heart rate had passed 200. Panic flashed in his eyes, and he turned green. His body swelled before their eyes. In seconds, the harmless-looking Dr. Banner became a nearly three meter tall green monster. The Hulk had appeared.
Without hesitation, the Hulk grabbed the bald thug who had hit him and hurled him like trash. The man flew dozens of meters, smashing through glass rooms and slamming onto a steel plate. He died on impact.
The remaining thugs were terrified. One collapsed and begged for mercy at once. The Hulk had no reason left, only a bloodthirsty rage. He stomped down. The man's head burst like a melon. The sight was terrible.
"My God, help us," one thug screamed as the others fled. But they could not outrun the Hulk. In moments they were smashed into meat.
The special forces were stunned by the sudden scene. "Report, an unknown object has appeared!" one reported in panic.
Still in the command vehicle, General Ross looked furious and ordered, "That is the target. Use tranquilizer guns now!"
Ross had not expected things to turn out this way. His plan had been to capture Banner before he transformed, using tranquilizers. He had not planned to fight the Hulk. Reluctant but determined, he ordered the soldiers to attack.
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