hulk
An abomination of muscles and green fury emerged from within the university, tearing through columns, walls, and vehicles as if they were made of paper. Each step shook the ground with the force of an earthquake. The air filled with screams, debris, and a tension so dense it felt like the entire world was holding its breath.
From the perimeter, General Ross raised his hand, ready to give the order to open fire. But a deep, authoritative voice interrupted him just before he could speak.
"Everyone hold your positions!" thundered General Nathaniel with the firmness of a storm. "I have direct authorization from the highest authority. No one fires. Activate defenses. Protect the civilians, but do not engage!"
The soldiers, bewildered, obeyed without question, though their fingers trembled on the triggers. Ross, confused and furious, spun on his heels to confront Nathaniel.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Nathaniel?" he snapped, eyes bulging with rage.
Nathaniel didn't answer with words. He simply held out a document in front of Ross's face. The name shining at the bottom made the general go pale in an instant.
"I did the same thing you would've done, Ross," said Nathaniel with a half-smile laced with irony. "But the person I know... outranks yours."
The signature of the President of the United States marked his authority.
Meanwhile, the green creature"the monster that had once been human"growled in the heart of the chaos, its eyes glowing with fury as it scanned the surrounding soldiers. It kept turning, measuring every movement, like a trapped beast that hadn't yet decided whether to strike… but whose entire body screamed restrained violence.
"Nathaniel!" Ross shouted again. "We have to stop him before it's too late!"
"Oh, really?" Nathaniel replied without raising his voice, his tone sharper than any scream. "I watched the footage of his last appearance on the flight here. They attacked him first… and he responded. Like any cornered creature. Like any being… betrayed."
As he spoke, he gave precise hand signals, instructing the soldiers to slowly retreat and secure areas for civilians without provoking the creature.
The silence was absolute, save for the beast's harsh growls and the tremors it caused with every movement. Then, as if out of an impossible painting, someone broke through the defensive line, walking calmly toward the monster.
A murmur spread among the soldiers. Nathaniel squinted. Ross's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Owen…?" he whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Owen walked with steady steps"no weapons, no armor, just himself and his voice. Hulk saw him and, with a brutal roar, charged like a natural disaster.
Everyone screamed. But Owen didn't move. He raised his hand.
And Hulk… stopped. Inches from his face.
He growled so fiercely that spit splashed Owen's face"but he didn't strike.
"Hey, buddy," Owen said with a nervous yet sincere smile. "Nobody wants to hurt you. See? No one's shooting. We're just protecting everyone else."
Inside, Owen cursed his boldness. What the hell had he been thinking? What kind of madness was this?
Hulk frowned. But he didn't attack. And that, in itself, was a miracle.
"What's your name?" Owen asked, keeping his voice soft and friendly.
The creature's eyes locked onto his. An eternal silence passed before he answered with a single word, powerful as thunder:
"Hulk."
Owen smiled, genuinely surprised.
"Nice to meet you, Hulk. I'm Owen… and I want to be your friend."
As Owen slowly lowered his arms, the gesture triggered a slight reaction in Hulk, who raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"Friend…?" Hulk repeated, confused.
"Of course. Everyone needs a friend. I'll be yours. But first… we need to calm down, okay? So everyone else can calm down too and lower their weapons. Nobody wants to hurt you."
Hulk turned his head toward the soldiers, his face twisted in rage… but then he looked back at Owen.
And sat down.
The ground shook. The soldiers swallowed hard in unison. Nathaniel let out a long, almost trembling breath. His judgment had been right. Hulk wasn't a murderous beast. He was a wounded soul, a force of nature that only responded to fear and aggression.
Ross, however, felt his blood boil. Not just because Nathaniel had been right. But because it was Nathaniel"not him"who had achieved what seemed impossible.
But then, a new roar ripped through the air. Sharper, wilder.
A second monster emerged from the university's ruins. A deformed colossus, covered in mutations and pure rage.
"HULK!" it roared, raising a massive arm at the sight of him.
Hulk stood up instantly, muscles taut like ropes. His face changed in an instant: no longer confused or calm"battle-ready.
Before Owen could say another word, Hulk shoved him aside like a feather.
The world spun for Owen. He flew through the air like a human projectile and crashed among the soldiers. His adapted body absorbed just enough of the impact. Even so, the blow was brutal.
With effort, he managed to kneel.
"Ouch... just… stings a bit," he gasped, spitting dust, as the ground trembled again beneath the steps of the two titans about to collide.
As Owen looked up, he witnessed the brutal clash of fists between Hulk and Abomination. The impact was so devastating that a shockwave exploded in all directions, shattering windows for several blocks. Cars shook, alarms blared, and a deafening roar filled the air.
Without wasting time, Owen moved decisively toward one of the nearby soldiers.
"I'm using the MK19. No one else fires, understood?" he said with firm confidence.
"Alright... Just hope your aim is still as good as it used to be," Nathaniel replied, issuing orders for the troops to focus solely on evacuating civilians.
Owen climbed into the military vehicle, took control of the automatic MK19 grenade launcher, swiveled it precisely toward the battling titans. He took aim calmly, inhaled deeply… and pulled the trigger.
The first grenade traced a perfect arc through the air and struck Abomination's elbow with surgical precision just as he tried to land a blow on Hulk. The impact was enough to deflect the punch, making it miss the Green Giant's face by mere inches. Hulk responded with a brutal right hook to his enemy's face, making him stagger.
Another grenade exploded in one of Abomination's eyes, momentarily blinding him. He roared in fury… just as a third grenade slipped directly into his mouth. Hulk, fast as lightning, slammed his jaws shut with a punch that caused an internal explosion. Smoke and blood burst from his lips.
Staggering, Abomination tried to strike Hulk with both hands, raising them above his head. But Owen fired two more grenades, which hit his wrists just before the blow landed. The strike veered off course, and Hulk seized the moment: an uppercut lifted Abomination off the ground, while two more grenades hit him squarely in the jaw.
Owen's attacks weren't meant to destroy, but to control. It was a symphony of gunpowder and precision, striking the exact points needed to maximize Hulk's damage. And it worked.
Abomination's body flew through the air, crashing onto the asphalt. He rose furiously, shaking his head as his regenerated eye blinked with rage. Then his gaze locked on Owen. He charged directly at him, completely ignoring Hulk.
Owen didn't flinch. He observed, calculated… and fired at the ground just in front of his enemy. The explosion threw Abomination off balance, making him fall sideways. But like a machine of destruction, he rose again, roaring as his steps made the concrete tremble.
A soldier appeared with more ammo, paralyzed by fear. Owen shouted without turning:
"Don't stop! I've got only two shots left, you idiot!"
And without waiting for a reply, he pulled the trigger. Two consecutive explosions shook the ground in front of Abomination, making him stumble again.
Just as he was about to lunge at Owen, a green hand grabbed his ankle.
"GRAAAAAAH!" roared Hulk.
With monstrous strength, Hulk lifted him by the leg and used him as a hammer, slamming him into the pavement with such force that the ground cracked into a crater.
Abomination struggled to get up. That's when three more grenades hit his jaw. Hulk, muscles taut like steel cables, launched one final devastating blow to the exact same spot. Abomination's jaw was torn off instantly, flying through the air like a piece of unsoldered metal.
The monster crashed to the ground. Motionless. Unconscious.
Owen slowly lowered his weapon, breathing heavily.
"Any beast falls if you shake its brain hard enough," he said quietly, like delivering a scientific lesson.
Hulk turned toward him. He watched him for a few seconds… then, without a word, leapt high into the air and disappeared among the buildings.
Owen sighed and looked at the soldier who had just handed him the last of the ammo… only to see that he had fainted standing up.
"Well… that was intensely terrifying," Owen muttered as he climbed down from the vehicle.
Nathaniel approached with a proud smile.
"A monstrous aim as always, Owen."
"Of course. I learned from the best," Owen replied with a confident grin.
Nathaniel turned toward Ross, who had watched everything in silence, chewing on his frustration.
"Alright, Ross. You can keep this one. Consider it a peace offering. But from now on, the individual known as…"
"Hulk," Owen said softly, with respect.
"…Hulk will be our responsibility," Nathaniel concluded. Then his voice turned cold as steel. "But next time you try to manipulate one of my men… I won't be so diplomatic, Ross."
Ross clenched his teeth.
"Tsk… Fine," he growled, knowing that even though he had lost Hulk, at least he had something to work with.
But deep down… he knew that on that day, a new kind of soldier had earned everyone's respect.
And his name was Owen.