**************************************
Hulk 2099UG
Issue #0
Written by Spider Kid
Prologue: Part 1 "Pandemonium"
Edited by Hugo Ferreira
**************************************
Late October, 2099.
Double-page spread of the city in ruins. The sun sets in the west, andlow-levell dust clouds tint the light, sickening shades of yellow and green.
Welcome to L.A., where Corporate America had once ruled through the entertainment industry.
Here, more than anywhere, Perception WAS Power.
And it's because of that, when the bomb was dropped, and all the illusions of Tinsel Town turned to dust, we were blinded to the undeniable Truth.
We aren't slaves to the lawyers and corp execs anymore, our souls were always our own....
Rage, anger, and bitterness bubble to the surface to bask in the green glow.
Welcome to the City of Fallen Angels.
Welcome to Pandemonium.
At ground zero, the debris shifts and irradiated dust rises from the earth, swirling around his massive form. This is the Hulk, and he has changed.
Seemingly bent under his own bulk, The Hulk stumbles over broken steel and shattered concrete, heading east for the city ruins. In the distant ruins, lights can be seentwinklingg, distant firelight.
The Hulk stands at the edge of the ruins, where a mob has assembled.
Survivors of the Gamma Bomb, they have been twisted and deformed by the radiation poisoning. A few seem to have been changed, as John Eisenhart had.
Their bodies had changed to match what was inside, to match the soul of the individual.
The Hulk is obviously the tallest and most powerful body there.
A tall woman steps forward and entreats the Hulk to join them.
"Hey Handsome, we're starting a new studio.. with no corp hogs to tell us what we can or can't do."
Looking up and admiring his powerful form, she cacaressesis arm.
The Hulk just stares at her.
"You look like a leading man... Care to join?"
Without answering, Hulk turns north and starts to walk away; his form is more erect and his stride full of purpose. Behind him, the woman stands stiff and indignant.
She calls to the mob, and they surge forward.
"Shock this RatBiter!"
Many of the crazed people carrydysfunctionall guns that explode in the crowd as they are fired. Many more people carry torches, sticks, bricks, or blades.
They all swarm the Hulk, trying to beat him down. Taken unawares, Hulk falls.
Background shouts, "Kill the Lawyers!" "Corp! Corp!", "Locusts swarm!", "..pain...", "Shoulda stayed in the car, man...", "Leading Man..."
And he rises, thrashing wildly to throw off his attackers.
The Hulk, Ggrabbinga fallen lampost, turns to face the first of the Changed people, the monsters.
The first one to reach him gets impaled, and the secondone'ss neck breaks under a backhand blow.
A third monster takes advantage of an opening and tackles the Hulk. Aga, in he falls under a wave of humanity.
This time, he is choked by tentacles, breathes strange fumes, and is cut by claws and teeth.
Angered, The Hulk explodes out from under his antagonists and bounds NW, leaping over rubble and debris faster than the mob can follow.
Until he comes to the edge of the desert, where he stops suddenly.
He turns sarts to turn around and look at the city one last time, but changes his mind...
"There's nothing left... Quirk, Gawaine, Zamora, Draco... All dead."
... and (p3)starts off across the Mojave.
In the distance, the mountains blaze red in the last moments of the sun.
****************************************************************************
Before the Gamma Bomb, there was another.
Set along the San Andreas Faultline, the Monkeywrenchers tried to physically separate California from the rest of the country.
They were not entirely successful.
The sea rushed in to fill the gap between tectonic plates, and among the many lowlands flooded by cataclysm was the Mojave.
Relentless sun and sea water revived the dust of ages and will, in time, bring life to the desert.
But for now, it's Fever Country.
**************************************
Prologue Part 2 "Delusion"
Edited by Hugo Ferreira
**************************************
The Hulk had long since stopped running.
Heat and humidity sapped his strength.
There was no hope of shade after the sun rose over the mountains, and the haze that rises from the ground harbors endless madness.
No food.
No clean water.
No sanctuary.
Sitting down for a moment, the Hulk basked in the sun. "The mountains", he thought, and then a by popped out from behind the next hill.
They just stared for a moment, and then the boy spoke, "Hello, John. You're a long way from home, aren't you?"
Hulk just blinked at the boy. Did he look like Gawaine, the one he failed? Or was he another one? A face remembered, but from where?
"Don't stop at the Mountains, John. There's no peace for you there, and I require you."
"Who are you, boy?"
Instead of an answer, the boys' eyes widen in horror, and he ducks back behind the dune.
Up in a flash, the Hulk jumps to where he expected the boy to be. Sand gives way under his feet as they land, and the Hulk falls face forward into another pool of water.
The salt stings his eyes and makes him cry out as he rises out of the water.
Looking around, The Hulk is surrounded by Doom, Draco, The Golden One, Vulx, His Sister, Quirk, Zamora, Gawaine, and scores of nameless faces.
All of these people were staring at him. As quickly as he could take it all in, they faded away until he was left alone with the boy again.
Sounds of metal under stress and energy weapons filled his ears.
Closing his eyes, trying to block out the sound, only sharpens his senses, and the Hulk smells burning flesh and feels the breeze of bullets and falling debris.
Throughout it all, the boy speaks, "I was sent to warn you, John, war is comin',g and I will need an army.
An army like this has not been seen for a hundred years or more. Already it has begun."
The tortured screams fade away. After a moment of silence, The Hulk opens his eyes and is confronted with more visions, of heroes and of villains.
Some he recognises, Spider-Man, the Ghost Rider, and himself.
Others, such as the man with the orange stone for skin, the woman in armor, or the man in black with horns and the red eyes that flare in the sun, are strange and unfamiliar.
"These are my generals", says the boy, " They bring change and make the world ready for the Messiah to come."
Falling silent once more, the boy himself starts to fade into the shimmering haze.
Gathering himself, The Hulk turns eastward.
The same dream has haunted him since he came to this desert, and would probably visit again before he reached the mountains.
A cool breeze comes from the south, making him shudder.
Having caught his wind, Hulk moves on.
2 Days later. The Rocky Mountains.
Looking west, to the sunset, Jayce let his mind wander from his duty.
Nothing but the burning hues of red and orange, fading into the night, filled his mind.
Something crashes through the bushes below. Jumping up, Jayce raises the rifle and tries to sight a target.
Silence, and then a low moan from the left. "Shock me, that's close!"
Fumbling with a cell phone, He dials the main camp and whispers, "It's back! West side, south ridge."
"No, it's not moving. Sounds like the bastard's sick! Must've been hiding in the desert."
"Alright, I'll wait till you get here. I don't think it's going anywhere."
Putting down the phone, Jayce checks the charge on his rifle and starts toward the trees where he heard the sound...
END
Posts
0 Comments