Hulk 2099UG #5

The Story continues . . .

"The name's John . . . John Eisenhart. Welcome to the mess known as my life. Over the past couple of months I've watched everything that ever mattered to me slip away. My plans for Lotusland . . . my sister Marian . . . Quirk . . . all gone because some second rate cult leader got his hands on something he shouldn't have . . . a monkey wrencher gamma bomb. Now California's been laid to waste, and me, I've changed too. I'm bigger, but not always stronger . . . and I'm not in control. The Hulk is and I'm scared."

"Hey John, come on over here out of the darkness!"

The voice gets to me, unleashing a flood of memories and guilt. I turn around to see Gawain and what looks like the very first VR projector I ever owned appearing out of the darkness the Hulk has banished me to. Or perhaps I banished myself here. Who can say after the events of the past few months?

"So how does it feel to be on the other end John? To be betrayed not just by a friend, but by your own alter ego?"

He looked just like Gawain, even had the boy's anger and attitude. My conscience is undoubtedly trying to tell me something. As if I had not heard it enough over and over since the real Gawain died. "Spare me the attitude, kid. I know what you are and what you represent."

"Well you certainly figured it out a lot faster than the Hulk did."

"I may be buried deep down here in the Hulk's subconscious, but it doesn't mean I'm out of the loop. I know all about your little trip down memory lane with the Hulk's personality. He sent you packing, which is why I suppose you're down here to torment me." {See last issue!}

"Something like that. Your . . . our personalities must all come back together as one before it's too late. With each day the Hulk is becoming less human, reverting to the primal beast of our inner demons. The fits of rage and fear have got to end, or a lot more people are going to end up dead, including perhaps the Hulk himself."

Shock, I'm not asking much from myself am I? "Don't you think I've tried to reassert myself? I came close a couple of times . . . right after that killing spree before leaving Los Angeles, and again when the Hulk found the body of that child in the rubble of Isis. {As in the flashback, last issue and issue 3, respectively}. It's as if the changes brought about by exposure to the Gamma bomb have aggravated this diverging personality syndrome brought on by Apolonia's mind experiments. {Hulk 2099 # 5 & 6 } But you already know all of this! You are me!"

" And I am you and . . . "

Suddenly I felt a chill come over me, something vaguely familiar. "Wait kid, did you feel that cold? What's going on in the real world?"

"I believe our alter ego is still being poked and prodded by those self-claimed Knights of the Banner, as they are trying to make sense of all of these mutations the Hulk is going through. And no, I didn't get a sense of cold, but rather of fear."

"Something's up! Am I right in assuming that the representation of my first VR projector is our 'eyes' to the outside world?"

"Yep."

"Turn it on."

The Kid reached for and pressed the main power switch, bringing the simulated machine to life. Who would've thought that the human mind could be so complex as to create these visual figments to help one sort through their problems? If I wasn't living in the moment, I probably wouldn't believe it myself.

Slowly the VR projector's screen came to life, showing John and Gawain the outside world through the Hulk's senses. T hey could see what appeared to be three men looking right at them through a glass window.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Outside World ***

"Are you sure this is safe, Atlas?"

"Come now. Mr. Burns. Ajax here has assured me that the Hulk is sedated and that the stasis field will hold him for the inspection. You've been waiting for weeks for something to give to your superiors at Westpac. Now's your chance to hear what we've learned of the new Hulk."

"The creature is sedated and within a stasis field. The walls between him and us are made of vibranium, just like his holding cell. I assure you we are safe," Ajax continued.

"See Burns, nothing to fear. Ajax, let the presentation begin."

Ajax nodded, activating the communicator attached to his belt. "Lycos, please proceed."

Standing next to the Hulk, Lycos nodded, removing a small controller from his belt. Looking at his test subject, he couldn't help but share a little of the outsider's fear. Worse, there was no vibranium wall to protect him should the Hulk awake from stasis. Another technician and a couple of guards were in the room but they kept their distance. Lycos activated his data projection unit and turned to face the audience in the observation room. Several monitors came to life with data across their screens and a holographic image of the Hulk appeared next to the real thing.

"After approximately 6 weeks of captivity, we have concluded that the changes occurring in the Hulk as a result of his exposure to the gamma bomb are nearly complete. The rampant re-coding of his DNA, first observed upon his arrival here at Gamma Base, has significantly slowed, almost to the point of stopping."

Lycos moved near the holographic projection. "This image is a stock file showing the Hulk prior to the gamma bomb detonation." Suddenly the image changed. "Now observe the changes in his physiology in this footage obtained by Atlas just after the bomb's detonation. Notice the enlarged head and increased mass in the neck and upper back. Also, note the changes in his face, including the protrusion of two teeth and the extension of small horns up both sides of the neck. {From Hulk 2099 #10} These characteristics are similar to those of the Locust leader Adonai, who was also located at ground zero. We can only speculate that his proximity to the Hulk, in combination with the gamma radiation, resulted in this mutation. It was apparently short-lived, as this footage from the Hulk's confrontation with SHIELD plainly shows. {See 2099 Apocalypse} The long term impacts of this cross-pollination, if any, is unknown."
The projector's image switched again. Lycos continued, "The bodily mutations apparently stabilized after the SHIELD encounter, but significant changes in mentality were observed during the Hulk's stay in Isis. Again, I refer you to video imagery taken by Atlas. The Hulk's mental capacities appear to be in decline, almost reverting to a bestial state. Throughout his stay there he spoke less and less and with less rationality. He was also subject to incredible mood swings that substantially impacted his strength. When enraged at the conclusion of his battle with the Shackle, the Hulk displayed a destructive energy level previously unseen, leaving half of that mountain city a wasteland."

"It is our belief that these mood swings and shifts in power were the result of the continuing mutation of his body, which began to show physical manifestations again after Atlas captured the Hulk and brought him here. Compare the Hulk as he stands here next to me today again with the image of the Hulk prior to the gamma bomb detonation. The most obvious change is the growth of a tail. A thick main of hair has also emerged, extending from the top of the head down across the back to the tail. Based on our model projections, the Hulk now stands another 6 inches taller. The muscle mass in his arms and upper back has increased 8% over previous levels. However, the most interesting change we have noted is actually inside the body."

Lycos again pressed the button on his controller, morphing the holographic image. "These are X-ray images of the Hulk's vocal chords on the first day of his arrival and yesterday afternoon. As you can see, they have enlarged significantly with a small organic sac developing beneath them. This almost certainly explains why the Hulk has been unable to utter a sound since his stay here began. Whether he will be able to speak again is unclear, although we assume this mutation will somehow enhance that speech."

"This concludes my presentation. Questions?"

"An excellent summary Lycos. Have your questions been answered?" Atlas spoke, turning to Burns.

"What about the transformation? Will the Hulk ever revert back to the human Eisenhart?"

"It's really too early to say, Mr. Burns," Lycos replied. "As you know, there has been no transformation since the gamma bomb explosion. It's really pure speculation at this point, but the evidence to date would suggest the answer is no."

Burns nodded through the window before returning his attention to the observation room. "My final question is for you Atlas. All this data you have collected is fine and good, but what is your ultimate purpose? You have one of the most powerful beings on earth in your possession. What do you intend to do? My superiors at WestPac want to know more about what they have invested in here."

The tone of the question stirred a rage in Atlas, but before he could reply, Ajax noticed something that shifted everyone's attention. "The Hulk is waking up. His eyes are opening."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first the Hulk remained motionless. Dazed and confused by the receding effects of the stun charge that had rendered him unconscious, he was not fully aware of where he was at. He quickly recognized the room was similar to the one he had been locked up in for weeks. He watched Lycos carefully step away from him and noticed the other three men in the room. One of them seemed strangely familiar in a way that produced a sense of dread and fear within him. It was a feeling he had once before back in Isis, almost as if something were eating away at him. As in Isis, instinct instantly kicked into action, prompting the Hulk to flee.

Muscles came to life in full force and arms and legs began to move. The stasis field, which was designed only to hold the unconscious Hulk upright for the presentation, gave way to the Hulk's overwhelming urge to be free.

"Look out!" Ajax screamed over the communication system.

The warning came too late, as the Hulk's tail found its target. Lycos crashed haplessly into the wall as the green giant turned toward the room's only exit. The site of the tail in action momentarily confused the Hulk, allowing the other technician to step back against the wall as the two guards moved forward with weapons drawn. They opened fire, but could hold the Hulk at bay only briefly. The energy beams were nothing more than an annoyance. The green giant swatted his attackers aside effortlessly.

They had provided a few moments of distraction though, and it was an opportunity the technician did not miss, bolting through the entrance and sealing the door shut. The Hulk leaped across the room after him, slamming his huge fists into the door. The technician watched from outside as the door bent and dented under the Hulk's assault.

In the observation center, Atlas, Ajax, and Burns had stood silent in witness to the Hulk's sudden display of power. "I thought you said this couldn't happen," Burns finally spoke, pointing through the observation window down to the Hulk.

"Ajax, turn on the sensor array and get me some readings," Atlas said, ignoring the WestPac executive.

Ajax walked quickly to a computer console, adjusting several controls and activating the array. "EKG is off the chart . . . heart and respiration rates are up 70% over baseline parameters. Atlas, the Hulk's building toward an Isis scale berserker rage."

"Initiate security profile Alpha one."

Ajax nodded and turned back to the console, engaging a separate set of controls. In the holding room, ten access panels slid back, allowing hidden weaponry to extend outside the walls. Sensor guided, the ten small cannons immediately focus on the Hulk, engulfing him in bursts of plasma fire. The Hulk recoiled, ceasing his pounding of the door. He opened his mouth, as if to scream in pain, but no sound escaped above his breath. Meanwhile, yet another door slid open, this time in the roof, revealing a large duct that immediately started to release a stun gas. The Hulk choked and gasped, ignoring the burning plasma fire in an attempt to renew his attack on the door. The attempt failed as he gradually drifted into unconsciousness, his body dropping to the floor.

"He's out for the moment Atlas."

"Call up a guard detail to return the Hulk to his cell. Get the medic up here as well to look at Lycos and those guards."

"I will see it personally," Ajax replied. He departed, leaving Atlas and Burns alone.

"Your Knights of the Banner can't tell us much beyond the obvious about that creature, nor can they contain him very well it would appear. Just what has my company invested in here?" Burns challenged, returning to the point he was making before the Hulk broke free.

"Has the corporate dog no patience?" Atlas replied in anger, watching the WestPac executive make yet another entry into his computer log. "You understand, Mr. Burns," Atlas began, raising his voice, "my men are not all scientists and warriors by training. Further, there is an incredible amount of data to be analyzed before we can reach any true conclusions as to the long-range effects of the second gamma bomb on the Hulk. I'm curious, Mr. Burns, have you ever heard of Doctor Leonard Samson?"

"No."

"I'm not surprised. Next to Bruce Banner, he was the foremost expert on gamma radiation in the 20th century. His and Banner's research was publicly banned in the aftermath of the pre-corporate wars. The US government had attempted to deploy a gamma bomb against Novograd's headquarters in the closing weeks of the struggle. When they won the war, the Corporate Alliance agreed to restrict the use of gamma technology so it could never be used against them. Agents of Angel's Breath gutted this facility, taking all machinery and data related to Gamma technology. I 've heard it is now stored in some secret Reserve system, along with other restricted technologies. They thought they had taken everything . . . but they were wrong."

"I have some knowledge of these events," Burns said. "After all, WestPac was a founding member of the corporate Alliance. Not that the restrictions did us any good. The monkey wrenchers managed to learn enough to build two bombs {as outlined in 2099 Unlimited #3 and Hulk 2099 #10} and your own little group managed to gather a great deal of Dr. Banner's research." {2099 Unlimited #1}

"But not enough Burns, which is why I wanted to come here. I suspected this old place might still hold some secrets of value. Of course, Aneas did not think so, but he was a fool. He had long since lost sight of our true goals, focusing instead on some infernal code of honor. If he had not been killed in the siege at Lone Mountain, I would have had have killed him myself. He planned the trip here to be a banishment for my followers and I. How ironic that his action in fact saved our lives."

Burns turned from Atlas, walking back to the observation window. "This is all very interesting, but what does Dr. Samson have to do with the green monster down there."

"Everything. Samson devoted a lifetime to the study of his era's Hulk, but never grasped the secret of that creature's birth. His ideas were sound, but the technology of his era failed him. I suffer no such limitations."

"Are you saying? . . ."

"We discovered much of Samson's research in a hidden lab while renovating this complex. I have already employed one of his methods and I will be pursuing others with some modifications. Our Hulk is a testament to Aneas' failures, but he will soon become a testament to my success."

"That remains to be seen," Burns replied, turning to exit the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the holding room, a lone technician watched as the guard detail arrived to remove the Hulk back to his cell. Gamma Ray was settling into his new body quite well. Still, it was nothing compared to the body lying inside that room which he very much wished to possess. Ray could barely contain his excitement at the thought of controlling power such as the Hulk had just unleashed. The kind of power he had first witnessed in Isis. The energy he could feed on would be immeasurable and oh what havoc he could wreak upon the unsuspecting world.

Of course, there was still the small matter of getting close enough to the Hulk to touch him and initiate the transfer. He had not been able to get near the Hulk without garnering suspicion from the other Knights. It also was apparent that the Hulk could somehow sense his presence. Thus, there was no way he was going to get his hands on him without engaging in a direct confrontation. That was going to require something he did not possess: raw power . . . either in strength or control of the devices contained in this complex. This body was the third "Knight of the Banner" he had come to possess since giving up the woman that had brought him from Isis. None possessed the strength to go up against the Hulk for very long. From the memories of his victims, Ray also knew that only two people had the access necessary to control the computer and security systems of Gamma Base. One of them was the group's leader, Atlas. The other stood less than 6 meters from him, directing the security team now lifting the Hulk's body for transport: The Knight's second in command: Ajax. Gamma Ray was suddenly feeling the need for a new body.

The security team completed its work and began the task of moving the Hulk back to his cell. Ajax starts to follow them down the corridor, when the Ray controlled technician speaks. "Excuse me sir?"

Ajax turned. "Ah yes, Ronan is it not? You sealed the door preventing the Hulk's escape from the room. Nice work my friend. What can I do for you?"

"I have something to show you."

Suspecting nothing, Ajax turned and walked right up to Ray as the guard detail disappeared around the corner and out of sight. "What is it?"

"This!"

"What are you doing?" Ajax asked as Ronan's arms grasped him around the neck.

"Sending you straight to Hel, dolt!"

"Stop . . . what's happening . . . who are you?" Ajax stuttered his consciousness slowly giving way to the transfer of Ray's ephemeral form.

Ronan said nothing as Ajax screamed in pain. Finally it was over. Ajax broke loose of his attacker's grip, knocking him to the floor. He turned and began walking after the guards. As he did, a small smile emerged from his face. "The name is Gamma Ray!"

Behind him, the spent husk that was once known as Ronan had already begun to decay, turning into ash.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's subconscious ***

"The Hulk is down for the count."

"I can see that Gawain. Bad as I hate to say it, we gotta get him up and moving again. I recognized that cold feeling now, and so did the Hulk. It's Gamma Ray, that creature who was after the Hulk's body. We were both captured by the Shackle in Isis. He obviously escaped in the aftermath of the Hulk's rant and followed these Knights here, wherever here is."

"New Mexico, John. That's where the old Gamma Base was located."

The kid was really beginning to get on my nerves, but he represented an important part of my mind. One that I will need if there is any hope of pulling our personalities back together as one. There has to be a way. I had just found a true sense of purpose for the first time in my life, and I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. Besides, somebody's got to pay for what happened to my family, such that it was, and California. I aim to be the collector. But first I have to deal with Ray and these also-ran Knights of the Banner. "Hey kid, where are we now?"

"What makes you think I know? All I can see is more corridor."

The kid was cocky just like his namesake. And that attitude he displayed with the Hulk was definitely reminiscent of myself growing up in the slums. I had always seen a lot of myself in Gawain and apparently my mind was going out of its way to remind me of that fact. The kid had told the Hulk personality that he was our conscience, so it shouldn't surprise me that he throws more salt in an already sore wound. Can't worry about that now though. "Just keep an eye on things while I go about waking the Hulk up."

"How you going to do that?"

"Talk to him, of course. We all inhabit the same mind. We are aware of him, so it would seem logical that he should be aware of us."

"Uh yeah . . . right!"

I turned away from the kid to better focus my efforts. If we were all as connected as I suspect, there is no need to talk aloud. You hear me, Hulk? This is your old pal John with a warning! Remember that cold fear you felt a few minutes ago? That overwhelming need to run away? Well its gonna come back looking for you! You hear me? Remember Gamma Ray? How he wanted to steal our body to hold his radioactive form? Well he's here with us right now looking to do the same!

"SHUT THE SHOCK UP! THERE IS NO MORE JOHN. ONLY HULK. YOU HEAR ME? ONLY HULK!"

I look up in surprise to see a visage of the Hulk's head appear out of the darkness. He's not too happy. "Here I am Hulk, right in your own mind. But let's put that aside. You have to wake up and get the shock out of here before it's too late. Before Gamma Ray finds us again."

"John we're entering an elevator," Gawain interjected, watching the VR projector.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Outside World ***

The door slid open at the lead guard's touch of the keypad. The second guard adjusted his handheld controller, steering the transport sled with the Hulk inside the freight elevator. As the last members of the detail moved inside, the Ray controlled Ajax arrived. The door to the freight elevator slid shut while Ajax opened the doors to the adjacent main elevator.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's subconscious ***

"John, did your feel that?"

"Yeah kid. Ray's back close by. Feel it Hulk? Gamma Ray is about to get you! Get us!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Outside World ***

The Hulk's scream caught the guards totally off base. "He spoke!" one of them muttered as the Hulk leapt to his feet atop the sled. Massive green arms extended to the ceiling, allowing the Hulk's hands to peel it back. His legs propelled him out of the elevator and up into the shaft.

"The Hulk is free! I repeat the Hulk is free, moving toward the upper levels. Sound the alarms!"

In the adjacent elevator, Gamma Ray pressed the appropriate button that would take him to Atlas' private lab. His best chance to get his hands on the Hulk was there and he had precious little time to waste before the prey slipped from his grasp yet again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's going on?" Burns asked, entering Gamma Base's control room. The sound of alarms could be heard ringing loudly in the background.

"The Hulk awakened on the way back to his cell and escaped. He's trying to make it to the surface. I am engaging security systems and deploying the available manpower to apprehend him."

"This is ludicrous. Two escapes in one day . . ."

"Shut up Burns, before I lose my temper further and kill you. I have no more patience for your corporate whining. Ikaris where is the Hulk?"

"Sensors show he leapt up to level 3 sir."

"Go to cameras now."

"Yes sir."

The main monitor came to life with footage of the Hulk in action. Laser fire and concussion blasts struck him to no avail, while he was becoming more adept in the use of his new appendage. The tail crushed wall cannons out of their emplacements as the first group of Knights arrived. The Hulk made his way through them like weeds, thrashing them aside with ease.

"Close the emergency doors."

"Closing now."

Atlas watched the monitor with surprise, as the Hulk ignored the doors, tearing a hole instead in a wall and leaving the camera's view. "Follow him."

"No cameras in that room sir. Sensors show his exiting through a wall into the warehouse. He may be trying to sneak back to the elevator shaft to leap up . . . Belay that he just moved up one level by tearing through the ceiling."

"Ikaris, close all exits to the surface. I want the defense systems reprogrammed and the men we have left redeployed into a holding action. Their objective is to delay the Hulk not stop him."

"Yes Atlas."

"Where do you think your going?" Burns mustered the courage to ask.

"To stop the Hulk idiot. I've had the power; I just wasn't ready to use it. Now I have no choice."

Atlas left the control room while Burns returned his attention to the monitor. The Hulk was now back in view of a security camera smashing his way through the lab he had just entered. Millions in Westpac credits were being destroyed, and for what? Burns could wait no longer; he too left the control room, walking into the adjacent conference center where he had left his open briefcase. He sat at the table in front of it, pulling out the communicator. "Attention, this is Burns in New Mexico. We have a collateral emergency at project KOB. I repeat a collateral emergency at KOB. Please deploy rapid response teams. Stand by for data transmission."

"Acknowledged Agent Burns. Teams deploying. Standing by for status data."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I've just got new orders from the control center. Fall back and redeploy. Give me a fire across that corridor. We want to direct that monster away from there."

The Hulk heard the voice and watched the little men fall back, but he did not understand. All he knew was that his instincts were again screaming for him to get away, regardless of the cost. More troubling was the voice that he had heard inside his head. The one that had warned him that the fear would return. It was a part of him that he had thought was gone.

"Sir, look at the Hulk. He's stopped. It's almost as if he is thinking about something."

"Let's not lose this opportunity. Direct a wave of plasma fire across his back. We've already cut him off from the elevators. If we could coerce him here, into room 260."

"I'm on it."

The subordinate turned from his commander, waving one of his men forward. Together, they moved back toward the Hulk armed with two plasma flamethrowers. They discharged the weapons, engulfing the Hulk in flames. The burning pain erased whatever rational thought was occurring, as his memory of the earlier attack triggered the instinct to flee. The Hulk moved away, smashing through yet another wall and into room 260, just as the Knights had hoped.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's subconscious ***

"Shock it, Gawain, I woke him up but the dumb lummox is still going to get me killed."

"Us."

There was the kid's smart mouth running again. "You know what I mean. Him being awake is not going to be enough. I . . . we've got to get control back. The Hulk has lost the ability to think. He's running on his instincts, shifting between rage and fear. They just goaded him into that room. It's a stall and he doesn't see it."

"Can't you just talk to him again like before?"

"I don't think he wants to listen to me. I'm dead as far as he's concerned, no matter what the evidence before him suggests. No, we are going to need a more direct route."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Outside World ***

Atlas stood in his lab in silent awe. Although time was of the essence, he could not help but marvel at his creation: a modified cathexis ray projector, the device that had given Doctor Leonard Samson gamma generated super strength. It was modified in the sense that it was a hybrid of Samson's designs and those of Aneas' gamma ray projector, the device that had turned Eisenhart into the Hulk. Atlas had already used it once, enhancing his strength and stamina prior to setting out to observe and capture the Hulk. It had given Atlas the strength to take out a weakened Hulk in Isis, and he now needed its help to face the beast again.

The projector was different from that fist time in that it was now calibrated to account for the data his scientists had been collecting on the Hulk's mutations. He had hoped to do some more testing and simulations before using the projector again, but fate had dictated there was no time for such precautions.

He flipped the activation switch, bringing the projector to life and took his position in front of it. Slowly, the projector began drawing gamma radiation from a nearby generator. "Computer, initiate program Atlas3."

"Acknowledged," a metallic voice replied. Instantly, it pulled up the most recent physiological data on Atlas and fed it into the projector's datacore. Next, the Hulk's medical data was downloaded into the system. Moments that seemed like hours passed before the computer spoke again. "Program loaded and power levels achieved. Awaiting instructions."

"Computer run program."

Atlas closed his eyes as the projector came to life discharging its burst of gamma radiation. As it engulfed him, he screamed in agony. The pain seemed ten times worse than his first exposure months before. He lashed out wildly, knocking the projector to the floor. It shorted out with a small explosion that knocked Atlas off his feet.

The explosion could be heard in the corridor outside the lab where the Gamma Ray controlled Ajax had just arrived. It could not be the Hulk, whom he knew was two levels above from monitoring communications. Ray saw immediately that the lab door was open and smoke was rushing out of it. He proceeded inside carefully, unsure of what he would find.

To his disappointment, what he found first was the damaged cathexis projector on the floor in flames. "How the shock did this happen?" he wondered out loud in disgust. His best chance for capturing the Hulk had just slipped away. Or so he thought . . .

"Agggh" - cough "Ajax is that you?" - cough -.

The question caught Ray totally off guard. The voice he recognized both through Ajax's memories and his own brief observations of its orator in Isis. "Atlas is that you?"

- Cough - "Over here old friend, by the spectrograph."

Ray made his way through the smoke to a figure standing in a corner. "What happened to you?" he asked rhetorically. It was already perfectly clear what Ajax had done. His previously well built physique was now exaggerated somewhat, taller, more muscular with a light green tint.

"I used the projector . . . again. It's the only way I could think of to stop the Hulk's escape, to continue our research. I've got to get up there to the battle."

"The men are holding him at bay on level two," Ray replied sensing that opportunity had not yet passed him by after all. "Good luck my friend." Ray extended Ajax's hand for a handshake.

Atlas grasped it firmly, unaware that he had just initiated the end of life, as he knew it. "Thank you, Ajax. The pain of transformation has subsided now and . . . wait what is happening? Suddenly I feel cold. It's you! Ajax what are you doing? Let go of me!" Atlas attempted to wrestle himself free, but could not in spite of his newfound strength.

"It's to late 'old friend'. The transfer has already begun."

"Transfer . . . what do you . . . wait something coming into my mind . . . Ajax . . . NOOO!"

"The name is Gamma Ray pal." It was the last words Ajax spoke before Atlas finally broke his grip. It was too late, of course, as the transfer was complete. Ray basked in Atlas' gamma enhanced body. Indeed, the body was powerful enough that he might have even considered giving up on the Hulk, was he not so close by. But it was the Hulk's power he craved and it was the Hulk's body that had the best chance of sustaining him the longest. It was time to claim the prize. Ray reached down to pick up the communicator out of the decaying ashes that were once Ajax's body. With his link to the Hulk's battle with the Knights reestablished, he departed from Atlas' lab to join it lest the Hulk get away again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the Hulk wanted was to get away, but in entering room 260 he effectively went in a corner. The room was on the outer edge of gamma base, with solid rock lying beyond the three outer walls. He had peeled away one wall, but could not punch his way through the rock fast enough to escape the constant barrage of laser blasts and plasma fire. Now that he could no longer sense Gamma Ray's presence, his fear was shifting to anger and his urge to run was being supplanted by an urge to destroy. The Hulk grabbed hold of a cabinet unit running the length of one wall, then hurled it like a missile at his attackers.

The Knights scattered as the Hulk pressed his advantage, leaping into their ranks. He grabbed the two Knights nearest to him and smacked them against each other like cymbals. Another Knight was shoved through the floor to the level below. Laser blasts were ineffective and the Hulk was now too close for them to use the plasma fire guns.

From the control center, Ikaris watched the change in events with alarm. They had wanted to keep the Hulk from escaping and he was now obliging with a vengeance. The mobile sensors that had been dispatched with the delaying force were registering the kind of readings the Hulk had put up in his first escape attempt of the day. He was once again approaching the berserker point.
"Can't you call anyone else up to slow him down?"

"We are not a megacorp Mr. Burns. I have nearly all our group up there right now. Its no use though, they can no longer contain the Hulk or prevent him from leaving if he should decide to do so. I don't know what Atlas' plan was, but I can't wait for him any longer. I'm ordering the men to pull back."

Burns sighed as he listened to Ikaris transmit the message. He hoped the reinforcements he had called would arrive in time to salvage something of this debacle. Otherwise, it was he who was going to have some explaining to do when he got back to the WestPac building in Portland.

The call to fall back was met with relief but it was effectively irrelevant. The Hulk had already passed their holding line and was moving back toward the main elevator shaft. Regardless of orders, most of the remaining Knights had already decided to get out of his way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's subconscious ***

Well I wasn't too happy with the method, but I couldn't argue with the results. The Hulk had came back fighting and was once again on the move. The only problem is that he has been enjoying it a bit too much, taking his time, reveling in the destruction. There isn't time for that. Gamma Ray is still out there somewhere looking to steal our body. Do you hear me, Hulk? Get your big #$!#$!# moving! As if to taunt me, he came to a complete stop.

"John . . ."

"I felt it Gawain and the Hulk did too." It was that chilling sense of cold that told them that Gamma Ray was nearby. Indeed, the Hulk is in the elevator area and is not alone. Between him and our path to freedom looks to be Atlas, but he is changed . . . bigger and a shade greener. The look in his eye says it all. He is Gamma Ray! You listen to me Hulk and you listen good. Whatever happens, do not let him touch you! You got it? Hands off!

Out of the surrounding blackness a vision of the Hulk's head appeared as before. "SHUT UP and leave me alone! I don't need you. You told me to run but I don't need to. I have the power. It's back and never going to leave me again."

"Shock it kid. He's gonna mess around and kill us yet."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Real World **

"Ah Hulk, you have overcome your fear I see. Good! We've been dancing our little dance for too long now. I've got places to go . . . people to see . . . terror to unleash. Quite frankly old boy, you're holding me up and I don't like it!"

The Hulk stared at the Ray controlled Atlas and said nothing. He wanted to speak or growl, but the voice that had seemed to return when he awoke in the elevator was now gone again. He could feel the coldness, the tugging of Gamma Ray's consciousness, which seemed uniquely drawn to him. Yet he would not give in to the instinct to flee as in the past. That was John's way not his. The Hulk made the first move tearing a piece off wall loose and flinging it at Ray.

"Is that the best you can do Hulk?" Ray taunted, breaking the debris to pieces with the swing of his fist. "What do you say we go hand to hand, big guy? Think you can take me?"

The Hulk responded by pulling up the floor from under his foe. Ray avoided the threat by leaping into the air toward him. The only contact he made was with the Hulk's tail, which knocked Ray back over the destroyed floor through the elevator doors. The Hulk pushed his advantage, jumping into the elevator after Ray. Dazed, Ray could do nothing as the Hulk picked him up with one hand and delivered a punch with the other, sending Atlas' body through the roof of the elevator and up the shaft.

Ray hit the top of the shaft hard, but did not lose consciousness. Instead, he smashed the elevator's gravity regulator. As the elevator began to fall, the Hulk leaped up out of it, grabbing hold of the shaft wall. Ray, meanwhile, had freed himself from the shaft's roof and made his way through the elevator doors of the first level. He had known getting the Hulk would be hard, but knowing and feeling were definitely two different things. "Come on Hulk, you're falling behind," Ray taunted again, looking down the shaft at his prey.

The Hulk literally ran up the side of the shaft to the first floor entrance, arriving to find the Ray controlled Atlas missing. He looked around the corridor but there was no sign of Ray and no place he could have hidden. The Hulk concluded that his enemy must have left the elevator area and proceeded to follow.

"Hey Hulk want to go for a swing?" Gamma Ray grabbed him by the tail and sent him flying through the air and into a wall. "Didn't think to check the freight elevator shaft, huh Hulk? If you had my brain calling the shots, you wouldn't have missed something so obvious. What do you say Hulk? Want to get together? We'd make a great team you and I!" Ray walked over to his fallen foe and extended an arm. "Let's shake on it, yes?"

If Gamma Ray had hoped to start the transfer, he was unpleasantly surprised. The Hulk ignored the arm and reached for Ray's neck. He lifted Ray up off the ground and threw him through the hole in the wall and into a table of lab equipment.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind, you muscle-mutated dolt!" Ray sneered as the Hulk got up off the floor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's Subconscious ***

"Damn it Gawain, he's flirting with death out there. I told him not to touch Ray. What is he doing? Well no more, this ends right here and now and I'm going to do it. It's time we stopped watching and started acting."

"I couldn't agree with you more, John. Thus, my time here is done."

"Huh?"

"It was my job to show the Hulk that he and you were the same man, the same personality. Even if he did not want to accept it. For you, I was to demonstrate that the guilt you hung on your own shoulders for the Gamma bomb incident and the Hulk's savagery in its aftermath were misplaced. You have came to that truth on your own and found a new sense of purpose. It is time for us to rejoin."

"I'm not sure I share your confidence kid. I still need a good moral compass."

"And you have one. You just have to remember to use me when the tough questions come up."

With that, the boy walked into John and disappeared.

"OK, Hulk, you're next! You hear me? Ready or not here comes John Eisenhart."

Suddenly, the blackness that had surrounded John for months was gone, replaced with shades of gray. Ahead, he could see the mental manifestation of the Hulk personality directing the battle with Ray. "Hello Hulk."

The Hulk turned with surprise to see his alter ego. "I don't know how you got here and I don't care. Leave me alone. Can't you see I'm in the middle of a battle?"

"I know, that's why I'm here. I've come to save you, save us before it's too late."

"I told you, I don't need you anymore. The power is all that I require."

"And what happens if it leaves you again, like in Isis. What then?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Outside World ***

Gamma Ray climbed out from under the lab debris to find the Hulk standing motionless. Curiously, he had not pressed his advantage. Was this some trick? Was the Hulk somehow smarter than he gave him credit for?

"Hulk?"

No answer.

"Hulk?"

Again, no answer. In fact, it sounded like he was mumbling to himself.

Ray could not believe it. He did not believe it. What was going on?

"What then Hulk? Face it, you need me. I need you. Shock, what am I saying? There is no me and you. Only me. You got it big guy? I'm John Eisenhart . . . John Eisenhart is the Hulk. This whole discussion, the separate personalities, it's all a figment of my imagination brought on by some deluded scientist's dreams of grandeur. It is time for the charade to end so I can get back to my life."

"NO, NO NO. THERE IS NO JOHN. ONLY HULK!"

Gamma Ray was now within arm's reach of the Hulk, but his prey still had not moved. The desire to finally grab him and make the transfer was overwhelming, but Ray suspected a trick. " What is the Hulk's game?"

I sighed with dismay. This argument was going nowhere and the distraction was no doubt leaving the Hulk vulnerable to attack. This part of my personality is just too stubborn to listen. If only there was some way to step right in and take control from . . . that's it! I know what to do.

"GO AWAY WEAKLING! I'VE GOT A FIGHT TO GET BACK TO."

I ignored the Hulk and instead proceeded to walk right at him. "I'm not telling you again . . ."

". . . JOHN EISENHART IS THE HULK!"

The words burst out of the Hulk's mouth like a sonic shrill, the waves of which knocked Gamma Ray right off his feet.

It worked. I was whole again. Walking into the Hulk as the kid had walked into me brought our personalities together. Man it feels great to be whole and back in the real world again, but it's not quite time to celebrate yet. I've got to deal with Gamma Ray once and for . . .

"Welcome back, John. Too bad you won't be staying long! By the way, thanks for showing me what those new vocal chords can do. I'll be sure to put them to use."

The Hulk looked down with surprise to see Gamma Ray on the floor holding him at the ankles. John tried to kick him loose to no avail. As before with Atlas, the transfer had already begun. The cold washed over the Hulk's body as the ephemeral form of Gamma Ray continued its invasion.

"SHOCKING NO! IT CAN"T END LIKE THIS! I JUST GOT CONTROL BACK. DAMN IT RAY . . . "

"Nothing is fair in this world John. You of all people should know that. Finally, I have you! Gamma Ray is the Hulk!"

Ray wasted no time leaving the battle scene behind, making his way to the entrance he had sneaked into weeks back. He placed the Hulk's massive hands in the crease between the blast doors, shoving them open and walking out into the dark New Mexico night laughing aloud as he went. "The power is so incredible . . . more than I could ever have imagined. When I get done with the people in these parts they will be begging me for mercy!"

"I DON'T THINK SO," a voice came echoing out of the night.

"I don't know who you are, but you have no idea what you are dealing with," Ray challenged, hoping to unleash some of his newfound power.

"ON THE CONTRARY, I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I AM DEALING WITH."

Ray suddenly found himself bathed in multiple spotlights from all directions. From the light, he could see that he was surrounded by armored SHIELD units. He also spied four aircraft overhead, two of which had engaged a force field he now found himself within. Someone had called for reinforcements.

"Who commands this group of idiots?!" Ray demanded.

A holographic image suddenly appeared within the force field. "I do. My name is Dietz, CEO of the WestPac Corporation. I'm not a very happy man at the moment."

"Why should I care what you think corporate hog?"

"Because it is my decision whether you leave here alive or not Hulk. You've just destroyed some very valuable property in which I have a considerable investment. How do you propose to make restitution?"

"The Hulk ain't here no more pal. The name is Gamma Ray. As for restitution, I don't plan to give you a shocking thing other than some more damage to these cronies of yours and their toys. You don't really think they can stop me from doing anything I want, do you?"

"Maybe, but ponder this Ray. You're standing within a containment field generated from the aircraft above. If you do not agree to my terms, I will order the release of necrotoxins into the field. Do you know about necrotoxins Ray? How they kill by breaking down organic matter into edible food sludge? Now I know that gamma-radiated body has a tremendous capacity to heal and I also know you have the strength to break fee of that containment field, in time. But would you have enough time Ray? Can your healing factor ward off the toxin long enough for you to break free? Is it worth the risk of being wrong when there is an alternative?"

Silence.

"Well Ray what shall it be? Feeling lucky today?"

Ray knew that he had indeed been lucky this day, but he also knew that luck comes in streaks and that perhaps his was up for the moment. "I'm listening."

The hologram flickered as Dietz smiled. "I thought you might. I've got a couple of jobs I think will suit your personal bent and career goals just fine! We shall talk more of them after I've returned from a business trip in Nueva York. If it goes as I suspect, you'll get to terrorize and destroy all you want . . . on my terms and when I choose."

Ray nodded, saying nothing. He would play along with this corporate hog for now, but someday, he would have the last laugh.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** The Hulk's subconscious ***

John Eisenhart again sits alone in darkness. He won the battle, but lost the war.



	Comments go here!!!