Chapter 20 - The birth of the Hulk

Upon reaching the site of the explosion, Sara quickly surveyed the surroundings, trying to precisely grasp what had just happened. Despite the area being completely devastated, the explosion, though seemingly severe, appeared to have mainly affected the second floor.

Additionally, it wasn't difficult to identify which laboratory was the epicenter of this incident, as the facade of one of the labs was practically destroyed. Sara walked slowly, keeping her senses sharp for anything that might come her way.

The recent encounter with the other symbiote a few days ago had made Sara extremely cautious in such situations. Unconsciously, some tentacles emerged from her back, ready to block any attack. However, neither Prime nor Sara noticed this fact, as they were both a single entity, sharing the same concerns.

Arriving in front of the laboratory, Sara crouched down and slowly raised her head in an attempt to look through the glass. Catching a glimpse of the interior, her eyes expressed surprise at what she witnessed.

The place was completely destroyed, with lights flickering incessantly, giving the area an eerie atmosphere. However, what impressed Sara the most was spotting a figure inside the laboratory amidst the flashing lights. This figure was almost three meters tall, presenting a robust and muscular body.

The last image imprinted in Sara's mind was the furious gaze of the monster as it stared back at her. After that, the creature began to move slowly out of the building, leaving Sara stunned behind, immersed in her own thoughts.

(Sara, wake up. We need to follow it)

Listening to Prime's words, Sara regained consciousness. Before entering the laboratory to pursue the green monster, voices in the hallway captured her attention.

"This way"

"We have permission to shoot, but we can't kill it"

"Sir, are you sure this is just a terrorist attack? The people we interrogated are saying that a green monster appeared"

Hearing these voices, Sara wondered why there were soldiers in a college. Not only that, why did they seem so prepared for this situation? With Sara's keen vision, it was easily visible that they were armed with various powerful weapons, such as grenade launchers, among others.

Anyway, Sara decided to leave this matter aside. If they caught her, she certainly wouldn't be able to leave anytime soon. Of course, that's only if they could catch her. After jumping into the laboratory, Sara ran in the direction the monster had gone, entering a corridor.

(Sara, in the library)

Sara redirected herself to the library upon hearing Prime's message. Upon entering, she immediately noticed a green figure. Even though she didn't know all the paths of the college, she was sure that this place connected to another building through a glass walkway overlooking the campus.

Opening the door, Sara found a green monster heading to the other side. Now, its appearance was fully visible. Although it had a humanoid form, its body was entirely green, and it stood about three meters tall.

This was the first time Sara had encountered something like this. She couldn't even imagine how that creature had come into being, but shreds of torn clothes still clung to its body. Turning towards Sara, the creature's green eyes stared at her, while it gritted its teeth in anger.

"Doctor Bruce Banner"

That's what Sara read on the badge attached to the torn shirt of the green monster. This surprised her, as the creature looked completely different from the photo she and Prime had seen in the newspaper. Saying it looked different was an understatement; it seemed to be an entirely different being from Bruce.

Although Sara was initially confused by the sequence of events, she was certain that the creature was Dr. Bruce Banner. However, she couldn't fathom how a human could change so drastically to transform into that monstrosity.

(Sara, we're surrounded. Take a look at the campus)

Listening to Prime's words, Sara briefly glanced outside through the glass and saw several military vehicles approaching the site. With her keen vision, she noticed that all of them were heavily armed, suggesting that this incident was something they had already anticipated.

***

While Sara, Prime, and the monster remained inside the glass walkway, the commander of that small battalion approached his men, maintaining a serious and stern expression on his face.

"Sir, he's in there" 

Said one of the soldiers, pointing to the glass walkway. As soon as his eyes captured the green creature on the walkway, he watched it with fascination. He didn't know if the experiment had gone very right or very wrong, but they needed to capture that thing to try to replicate it.

"Drop two bombs in there" 

He ordered. Immediately upon receiving the orders, two soldiers with grenade launchers approached the glass walkway, ready to follow the instructions. However, upon spotting a second figure inside the walkway, they abruptly stopped in their actions.

"Sir, it looks like there's a student in there" 

Upon receiving the soldier's report, seconds later, a new order resonated.

"Proceed with the plan"

The two men looked at each other for a few seconds, hesitating, but soon followed the orders and launched two bombs through the glass. Upon hitting the ground, a white liquid began to spread, completely obscuring the view for those outside.

***

(They really dropped bombs, even knowing we're here)

Hearing Prime's words, Sara noticed a small object entering the space where they were; shortly after, white smoke began to disperse in the area.

"Maybe they didn't see us?"

Although comforting to entertain that possibility, Prime knew it wasn't the case. With his heightened senses, he clearly perceived that the soldiers had spotted them.

(While I appreciate your optimistic view, unfortunately, it seems not to be the case. They clearly saw us but chose to ignore our presence)

Hearing these words, Sara pulled out a small handkerchief she carried with her and placed it over her mouth and nose. Then, she looked at the green monster, revealing a small smile on her lips.

"Whatever, I've never been a fan of the military anyway. Besides, it looks like this guy shares the same sentiment" 

Sara said, referring to the green monster.