Chapter 25 - Dr. Samuel Sterns

While Prime and Sara were approaching Grayburn College, Samuel Sterns was leaving the same place in quite a hurry. However, as a voice called out to him, he turned in the direction of the sound, coming face to face with a woman he hadn't known until then.

"Excuse me, Dr. Sterns?"

Upon hearing his name, he quickly turned, questioning who was calling him.

"Yes?"

Shortly after, the woman continued.

"Sorry to bother you, I'm Elizabeth Ross"

Upon hearing the woman's name, he quickly remembered who she was. It was hard not to know her when working in the same field; after all, she was one of the highly regarded individuals in the area.

"Oh, Dr. Ross, pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about your work"

Upon hearing this, Elizabeth smiled in a friendly manner and continued the conversation.

"There's someone who would like to meet you"

Saying this, a man wearing a cap approached Sterns, leaving him perplexed since he didn't know the man and couldn't recall seeing him before. However, the man's next words quickly revealed his identity.

"And you're the blue man, right?"

Upon hearing this, Sterns looked at Bruce with a gaze clearly questioning if what he was seeing was an illusion.

"Mr. Green?"

After that, accompanied by Dr. Sterns, Bruce and Elizabeth walked to his lab while discussing some matters. Once inside the laboratory, each took their seat, and Sterns initiated the conversation.

"I must confess, I was wondering if you were real and, if so, how you would be. A person with so much... POWER. Nothing could surprise me more in this life than shaking hands with this unlikely man"

While listening to these words, Bruce became visibly uncomfortable, as the man spoke about something within him as if it were a good thing. In reality, it was just a weapon that, if used for evil, could cause much suffering. That was exactly what Bruce sought to avoid. As he thought about it, Sterns continued.

"What I'm trying to say is that, even if everything goes well, and we manage to induce an episode with the exact dosage, we don't know if we'll have a lasting cure or just an antidote for this specific episode, and then... I don't know"

Hearing this, Bruce briefly glanced at Elizabeth, who was also observing him, while Sterns continued with his explanation.

"You see, if... we miss the dose, even if it's by a drop... we'll be dealing with concentration levels of extraordinary toxicity, so..."

But before Sterns could finish, Elizabeth interrupted him with a determined look on her face.

"Meaning we could kill him"

Sterns nodded, agreeing with Dr. Elizabeth's words.

"Kill? Yeah, you could say that"

After that, the room fell silent for a few seconds before Bruce continued.

"You know, there's another possibility in all of this? If we miss the dose, if we induce an episode and it fails, it could be very dangerous for you"

Hearing this, Sterns started laughing, finding Bruce's words relatively amusing.

"Look, I've always been more curious than careful, and it's always worked for me, so... let's go ahead?"

***

Somewhere near where Bruce, Elizabeth, and Sterns were, several helicopters were ready to take off, while various soldiers boarded. Blonsky was inside a restroom, looking at himself in the mirror. He could feel the power in his body, but it was still inferior compared to his. 

Blonsky wanted more, wanted to resemble that monster he saw in college. After getting into one of the helicopters, a military officer sitting in front of Blonsky leans towards him and asks.

"How do you feel?"

With a smile on his face, Blonsky replied.

"Like a monster"

***

Back to the scene with Bruce, Elizabeth, and Sterns, they were in a room where they would administer the serum to Bruce in the hope of curing him. As they adjusted the setup, Bruce and Elizabeth approached, observing the equipment around.

"I have to admit, this place is quite impressive" 

Bruce said. As Sterns poured a liquid into a container on the machines, everyone was startled by a female voice echoing through the room. To their surprise, a girl with blue eyes and silver hair appeared, looking around.

"Umm... little girl, you can't be in here" 

Sterns said, approaching the girl in an attempt to lead her out. To his surprise, the girl quickly grew in size, assuming a frightening face that made Sterns recoil and fall backward.

"Or you can, if you want, feel free" 

He added, as the monster disappeared, leaving the girl from before. With a smile on her face, she approached Bruce, who, upon looking at her, had flashbacks in his mind, causing a sudden headache.

"I... I remember you, from college, that thing was you" 

Bruce said, with Sara looking at him with a smile and extending her hand for a handshake.

"I'm glad you remember me. You can say I'm like you; I also have a monster inside me" 

She continued. Hearing this, Bruce was momentarily surprised, noticing a red glow in the girl's eyes.

"Anyway, I've been following the conversation for a while. My goal was to talk to you, but I don't mind waiting a bit longer. After all, I don't know anyone else who can help me"

After this conversation, Bruce, lying on a stretcher, began to be tied down by Sterns.

"This will protect you from yourself in case of a strong reaction" 

Sterns explained. Upon hearing this, Bruce, who had been silent until then, said. 

"Let me know later if you find it strong"

Then, Bruce turned to the girl who introduced herself as Sara.

"If something goes wrong, I'll be counting on you. If I make it out of this alive, I promise I'll try to help you with whatever you need"

Hearing these words, Sara nodded, maintaining a small smile.

"You got it. If it gets out of control, I promise I'll stop you... probably"

While both were talking, Sterns adjusted the machine, finishing his final adjustments. After finishing, he looked at everyone in the room, focusing his eyes on Bruce.

"Ready?"

As soon as Bruce nodded, Sterns turned on the machine, starting the process.