The Rage of the Incredible She-Hulk

From Rage to Woman

Rage. Power. Destruction.

The creature's mind thought only of these things. She did not distinguish between human or object -- all was an obstacle in her way.

The way to freedom. The way to peace.

She had awoken in confusion in a place that was not familiar to her. The space was small and confining, with no clear escape route. Loud noises whistled in the distance. She was . . .afraid.

Her fists had clenched. No. She was not afraid, afraid was small, afraid was weak. She was not small, she was not weak, not puny.

She was angry, she had the power, and she was going to destroy anything that got in her way.

Powerful muscles flexed, veins carrying irradiated blood flexed against rippled green skin and in a flash, the room had been no more, just rubble of something that had tried to stop her.

Feet crashed through tile floors as the creature's feet carried her in swift, large strides down hallways, while her arms cleared out anything that would threaten to slow down her pace: doors, walls, or puny humans. Obstacles.

Finally, her fiery eyes locked onto a glimpse of open air, a glimpse of freedom. She approached head on, knowing there was only one thing she had to do to be free. The creature gritted her teeth, channeled her rage, and prepared to. . .

* * * *

Talia Walker's world smashed back into consciousness. Only blurs were currently visible -- the harsh rays of the sun blinded her immediate view of the surroundings. Overloaded senses couldn't tell left from right, up from down. The doctor could feel her heart racing as confusion and panic set in.

Calm. Down.

Taking a deep breath, Talia closed her eyes and centered herself, slowing her heart rate and willed her body back into control instead of in the leash of her emotions. Fear, anger, confusion -- they were all silenced and tucked deep within her core. Her brain was back, it was time to flex it again.

Calm. Safety. Humanity.

The woman's mind thought only of these things now. It was imperative to make sure these would be a reality for the foreseeable future.

She brought her hands to her face and felt the contours. Soft skin, small rounded nose, pronounced cheekbones and a sharper chin that she wasn't so fond of. All features she recognized -- she was herself again, the monster had gone to sleep.

She opened her eyes and the blurs were now in focus, at least as much as they could be with the loss of her glasses. Countless rows of trees surrounded her, trunks stretching skyward with branches full of green leaves forming a lush canopy, with the sun brightly shining through small gaps of the foliage. She herself was fraily leaning against the thick trunk of a rough-barked tree. The doctor wiggled her bare feet, her toes digging into damp soil beneath her.

Talia sighed -- partially in relief and in annoyance. She was in the woods.

Goose bumps prickled up her skin as the chill of the surrounding air touched her bare skin. Her body ached and her head, though hers again, throbbed in pain.

Talia brought her hands down, crossing them to touch bare shoulders, running them down across her naked torso, before they snagged ragged remains of denim barely clinging on to her hips -- the only piece of clothing that had survived her metamorphosis.

As she fumbled with the remains of her former jeans, a short burst of panic ignited in Talia's brain, her hands immediately shooting for her pockets. As her fingers fished inside, they contacted smooth glass tubes. An instant wave of relief washed over her as she slipped them out -- they had survived, her mission had not been for naught.