General Ross stood beside the laboratory table, his gaze locked coldly on Bruce Banner.
To him, the man before him wasn't his daughter's lover he was a monster.
No matter how many times Bruce had risked his life to battle the Abomination, none of it changed Ross's opinion.
A monster was still a monster.
And monsters always brought disaster.
As a hardened, hawkish soldier, Ross refused to tolerate any potential threat under his command.
He took a few deliberate steps forward until he stood face-to-face with the restrained scientist.
"Betty is getting married soon," Ross said flatly.
Bruce's eyes snapped open wide.
Disbelief froze his face, but in the next second, rage exploded within him, consuming reason like wildfire.
Yet no matter how violently his anger surged, it was useless.
He couldn't transform into the Hulk.
The military's powerful sedatives had left his body weak, too drained to awaken the beast within.
Ross, however, continued speaking, his voice dripping with satisfaction.
"I told her long ago that you weren't a suitable choice. And now, she finally listened to me.
As her father, I couldn't be happier."
A faint smirk crept across Ross's face. Everything had gone according to his plan.
All it had taken was one simple threat if Betty refused to marry, Bruce Banner would be subjected to inhuman torment.
Faced with that, Betty Ross had broken.
Her only condition had been to see Bruce once more before the wedding.
Ross agreed.
He didn't see the harm in granting such a small request.
He stared at Bruce mockingly.
"Betty will come tomorrow. I hope you won't make her uncomfortable. You should know by now she'll never be happy with you. You're nothing but… a monster."
Bruce had been shouting moments ago, his fury boiling uncontrollably.
But when that last word monster left Ross's lips, something inside him cracked.
He fell silent.
A deep sorrow filled his eyes.
Ross was right. He was a monster.
If not for him, maybe Betty could have lived a peaceful, happy life.
The next day, Betty Ross arrived at the base.
Though she was dressed as a bride-to-be, her face bore no trace of joy.
Her fiancé was a good man kind, respectable.
But she didn't love him.
When she stepped into the heavily guarded facility, Betty was stunned.
Everywhere she looked were towering machines of war.
Rows of tanks, hulking exoskeleton suits forged by Locke Industries, and at every checkpoint Terminator units, standing like steel sentinels.
And in the distance, the APU mechs loomed, their cannon barrels thick enough to shatter her hope completely.
She had once dreamed of rescuing Bruce.
But standing here now, surrounded by so much firepower, she realized that dream was impossible.
Ross turned to her, his tone half-warning, half-condescending.
"Bruce Banner is inside. You may see him but remember, Betty, don't try anything foolish. This is a military base. If you try to free him, even I won't be able to protect you."
Betty nodded automatically, but her heart had already crossed the threshold before her body did.
The heavy door opened.
Inside, Bruce was strapped to a restraint platform, his arms and legs bound tightly, leaving him no room to move.
"Bruce!"
Seeing him like that, Betty could no longer hold back.
She ran to him, collapsing into his chest as tears fell freely.
Bruce turned his head toward her.
The young woman he remembered the vibrant, laughing Betty seemed so far away now.
"You've lost weight," Bruce said softly, voice trembling.
Betty's tears shimmered as she smiled sadly.
"You've changed too much…"
Her gaze darted to the surveillance camera in the corner.
Without hesitation, she acted.
She knew she couldn't truly save him.
But seeing Bruce like this broken, helpless ignited something reckless in her heart.
An alarm blared through the facility.
Ross's face darkened.
"Damn it! Stop her!"
He had thought Betty had accepted reality.
Clearly, he had underestimated her resolve.
Betty grabbed a small knife hidden in her sleeve and slashed at the restraints.
The first strap snapped.
But before she could cut another, the door burst open.
Two T-800 units marched in, their glowing eyes locking onto her.
Their arms lifted, heavy rifles aimed directly at her chest.
Bruce's pupils constricted in horror.
"Betty!"
Something inside him detonated.
The beast awoke.
Hulk's power surged through every cell of his body, feeding off the blazing fury in his heart.
In an instant, his muscles swelled, his skin rippled into emerald green, and the restraints that once held him shattered like paper.
He lunged forward, shielding Betty with his body.
The T-800s opened fire.
Tranquilizer rounds struck his skin and ricocheted harmlessly away.
The more they shot, the angrier he became.
And the angrier he grew, the stronger he became.
With a deafening roar, Hulk's body expanded past four meters tall.
One massive swing of his arm crushed both machines into twisted metal.
"RAAAAHHH!"
His roar shook the entire base.
In the control room, Ross's blood ran cold.
"Hulk… he's out!"
But he wasn't afraid.
He had prepared for this.
"Activate all Hulkbusters! Full engagement!" he barked.
"Also… contact Nolan Locke."
If anyone could stop Hulk, it was the man who once defeated the Abomination Nolan Locke.
Outside, legions of advanced combat mechs assembled, their weapons humming.
The air itself seemed to vibrate with tension.
Hulk held Betty tightly in his arms, his only thought to protect her.
Even Betty, trembling in his grasp, felt an odd sense of safety there.
Meanwhile, Nolan Locke received Ross's call.
He raised a brow, then gave a lazy chuckle.
"So Banner finally snapped, huh?"
Ross wanted him to intervene, but Nolan had no intention of doing so.
Why should he fight the Hulk?
After months of imprisonment, no one could predict how furious the creature had become.
He humored Ross with a few empty promises, then hung up.
"Red Queen," he ordered calmly, "track Banner's movements. I want to know where he's headed."
"Understood, sir."
Hundreds of micro-drones launched from the Hive Dome, soaring into the skies.
Nolan watched their live feeds flicker to life.
In a world of geniuses, he thought, it would be fascinating to see what happened when he gathered them all under one roof.
Outside the base, Hulk roared once more.
Rows of tanks, mechs, and soldiers filled the field before him.
The sight would have terrified anyone else.
But not him.
"HUULK SMASH!"
His body swelled further, nearly five meters tall now, radiating sheer might.
In the control tower, Ross hesitated for only a second.
"Fire!" he commanded.
The air erupted with explosions.
Hulk charged forward, shielding Betty as he smashed through the front line.
A single punch crumpled a tank like paper.
Gunfire and missiles rained down, only feeding his rage.
"RAAAHHHH!"
Nothing could stop him.
Every obstacle was obliterated in his path.
Ross stared at the monitor, horror washing over him.
How could Hulk be this strong?
All his weapons, all his planning worthless.
Moments later, Hulk reached the outer perimeter.
He looked back once at the chaos behind him, then leapt high into the air, vanishing over the horizon with Betty in his arms.
Far away, Nolan watched the green giant's figure through drone footage.
Even he couldn't help but marvel.
"Red Queen," he murmured, "what do you think my odds are if I fight him?"
"Insufficient data, sir. Based on current parameters, Hulk's victory likelihood exceeds 90%."
Nolan chuckled softly.
He didn't need her to tell him that.
At this point, even Thor might find himself turned into the hammer rather than wielding it.
"Come on," he said finally, standing from his chair.
"Let's pay our angry friend a visit. Who knows maybe I can convince the good doctor to join Locke Industries."
He smiled faintly, watching the green titan vanish into the distance.
The Fury of the Hulk had only just begun.
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