"End of the Road: Missing Pieces" 
Written by: Andrew Leyland (apl@westleigh.rmplc.co.uk)
After an appearance by the creature in the small town were David is working
early in the week he once again packs his bags to leave but has very little
or no money. David makes a risky decision to keep his head down and hang
around until the end of the week when it will be payday. Parrallell to
this McGee has learned of the Creatures appearance and against doctor's
orders takes off on one final quest to solve the mystery once and for all. 
He packe his tranqiliser gun and a homing signal and tracking device. 

He arrives in the town and starts snooping around but once again concerned
that he will be too late he heads for every cheap hotel in town to try and
get a lead. He finds out the sighting of the creature and heads to the
workplace.

David is just knocking off for the week and waiting for his cheque when
McGee shows up. David collects his cheque and swiftly disappears into the
background only to pointed out to McGee by the foreman. McGee follows
Banner as he starts to run. Unable to pursue McGee pulls out the elephant
gun he carried with him in many episodes and fires hitting Banner squarely
in the back causing him to tumble into the cold water of the docks below. 
As he falls we see his eyes turn white.....

McGee heads to the waterside and leans over only to have a huge, green hand
wrap around his throut. The Creature walks slowly out of the water lifting
McGee with one hand as he goes, whilst grabbing the elephant gun with the
other. He seems to recognise McGee and remembers many previous encounters
(Through flashbacks) and how they caused him pain. He is about to hurl
McGee into the water when he recalls Elania Marks line "The creature won't
kill because David Banner won't kill". For the first time the creature
seesm to be showing some recognition at all the events around him. McGee
menwhile plants the tracking device on the creature as he is confused. He
places McGee down and tries to speak. He say something that sounds like
"Banner". McGee instantly recognises the name and puts the pieces
together. 

He tries to calm the creature down and get him to give him the gun. The
police arrive which once again enrages the creature and almost
subconcionsly he stuffs the elephant gun in his pocket. After a brief
battle the creature dive into the water and disappears….

McGee know has the a large part of the puzzle in his grasp and heads off
into the background...

The Incredible Hulk – End Of The Road. Part 2 – Things Fall Apart.

The creature emerges from the water and is seen running through the city by
the military police. A city-wide alert is called for and the army are
called in. Banner emerges from his transformation in a darkened alley a
makes his way to his apartment in a run down area of town after stealing a
shirt from a local washing line. On his way he catches a glimpse of a news
report in a shop window. Somebody has managed to get some clear footage of
the creature with a video camera and the army have mobilsed forces locally
cordening off the area. Banner sees McGee with the MP's and realises that
his time is nearly up.

Banner returns to his apartment in an effort to retrieve his belongings but
the building has been surrounded. He picks up the elephant gun and is
about to put it down when he pauses and changes his mind. He stuffs the
gun back in his pocket not realising that the tracking device is still
there also. He sees McGee exit from the apartment building holding his
rucksack. He turns to leave but is asked to stop by a policeman. Banner
ignores the cries and continues to walk. The policeman shouts again after
notincing blood on Banner's shirt – the wound from the elephant gun. 
Banner starts to run, almost at the end of his endurance, almost praying
that the cop will shoot him – which he does. He hits Banner squarely in
the thigh causing him to scream in pain as he falls to the floor. The
policeman begins to approach as Banner's heart races and his pulse
quickens.

"Stay Away" yells Banner but his voice sounds low and gutterall. He feel
his bones begin to stretch and his limbs get larger. After all these years
the transformations are still painful. His shirt begins to expand over his
developing torso and shreds down the seam. His trouser rise up to his
knees and he witnesses, not for the first time, his skin begin to change
colour. 

The policeman stands stunned, unable to believe his eyes as what was a
tall, slim man in his forties transform into a 7ft tall mound of pure
muscle. The creature stands to his full height and roars. The sound of
the creature enraged nearly deafens the policeman who tries to raise his
weapon but to late. The creature is upon him and rips the gun from his
hands crushing it like paper. The Creature has never felt such rage. He
roars again as McGee and the Army close in. 

"No guns" yells McGee "We need him alive."

The creature is boxed in by the military. Slowly they part to let the
creature out but only because a tank has arrived. The tank takes aim and
opens fire but the creature CATCHES the slug in his hand. He turns it
around and throws it back at the tank. The men inside jump clear just
before the tank explodes. Using the confusion the Creature runs through
the smoke.

The creature is pursed through the streets by helicopters, tanks and
armoured vehicles. Only the presence of innocent civilians keep the
military from unleashing deadly force. The creature shows a previously
untapped skill for survival and almost animal cunning. Realising that he
has nowhere to go above ground he disappears into the subway and down to
the sewers. After an almost 12 hours chase the creature is exhausted and
sits down to rest. Incredibly tired the creature slowly falls asleep… and
changes back to David Banner.

Meanwhile the military have called of the chase for the night leaving only
search helicopters in the sky. McGee has neglected to tell them about the
homing device and decides to track down Banner himself….

Banner awakens tired and sore. His wounds have begun to heal, as always,
but they itch. He puts his heads in his hands and rubs his face. He looks
tired. He pulls the elephant gun out of his pocket and toys with it in his
hands. With a look of determination on his face and tears in his eyes he
raises the gun to his head.

"Dr Banner I Presume."

Banner turns, startled and points the gun …. At Jack McGee.

"Mr McGee. How remarkably predictable. Don't you ever give up?" asks
Banner wearily.

"I won't give up till I'm dead. Which isn't that far away … if my Doctor
is to be believed."

Banner lowers the gun. "Why?" 

"Cancer. Terminal. Too many years drinking late, smoking, sleepless
nights. Dreaming about you. Or what you become. Speaking of which,
aren't you dead?"

"I got better." Banner responds without humour.

"Hmmm" McGee motions to sit near Banner and Banner beckons him towards him.

"What's with the gun Doctor? You've never struck me as the suicide type. 
Can the Hulk even BE killed?" asks Mcgee as he struggles to sit down. He
groans "Not as young as I used to be."

All of a sudden Banner looks old, tired, worn out.

"I don't know. The creature has survived gunshots, electrocutions…." He
trails off. "Even falls from aeroplanes" He mutter under his breath.

"Not to mention tank attacks." adds McGee, incredulous.

"What? Was anyone hurt?" says Banner concerned.

McGee shakes his head. "No. So do you know how the creature manages to
survive all these things? Is he immortal?" McGee asks failing to keep the
sarcasm from his voice.

"The creature has an amazing regenerative ability. Gunshot wounds heal in
days. Broken bones in less than a week. Even near-fatal accidents for us
seems to have little or no effect on him. He can be hurt but that only
seems to make him stronger."

"It seems to me that the creature has made you invincible. Given you great
power…"

"I DON'T WANT THIS POWER!" Banner yells hurling the elephant gun across
the sewer tunnel. "I want a normal life, I want a family, children… a
life." Banner composes himself. "How did you find me? Are the military
out there ready to try again? How long before this constant provoking of
the creature causes him to kill even accidently?"

"He's already killed. Elaina Marks." 

"No. The creature tried to save Elaina. The fire was caused by you McGee.
Not the Creature."

McGee suddenly looks crestfallen. All his composure disappears as he tries
to comprehend what he has just heard. "I did.."

Banner immediately realises his mistake. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have
said that.

There is a long silence before McGee says "There's a homing device in your
pocket. The military don't know about it, I came alone. I planted it on
you when the creature grabbed me."

"I don't … remember. I have no recollection of what happens when I'm the
creature. I don't know if he remembers me."

"He knows your name."

"He can talk?"

"He tried. How did it happen Doctor? How does it happen?"

"15 years ago, my first wife Laura and I were in a car accident. The car
turned over and I was thrown free but Laura was trapped in the car. It
burst into flames and she was trapped inside. I tried to open the door, to
rescue her but I didn't have the strength to overturn the car." Banner
looks at McGee tears in his eyes. "Can you imagine what that's like Mr
McGee? To watch someone you love more than life itself burn to death
before you eyes? And be totally powerless to …" Banner trails off.

"I started researching." He continues. "I discovered other people in
similar situations and one instance identical were a mother and son were in
an overturned car. The mother LIFTED the car and rescued her son. I
became obsessive. WHY could she do that and I couldn't. I discovered high
levels of Gamma activity in the air around the times these people tapped
into this hidden strength. Sunspot activity and the like. I subjected
myself to a high-level Gamma dose. But I used too much. The
transformations happen in times for great emotion normally anger, fear,
agression. They even happen in my sleep. I have no control over them. I
went into hiding for this very reason. The military will see the creature
as a weapon to be exploited. Many times I have been close to a cure and
many times it's slipped through my fingers at the last moment. I'm tired
Mr McGee. Tired of running."

"Suicide's no answer Doctor. If you come quietly I'll see you get a fair
trial. I'll testify that I've never seen the creature hurt anyone. We'll
get in touch with your sister, a scientist to help you. But you have to
come quietly Doctor Banner. It's the only way."

Banner agrees and the two walk out of the sewer together…

To Be Continued.

The Incredible Hulk – End Of The Road. Part 3 – Verdict.

Banner is taken into the courthouse in chains. He notices his sister in
the crowd and smiles half-heartedley. The Judge takes to the stand.

After the video tape of evidence of the creature is transmitted David finds
himself under serious cross examination from the prosecution. He argues
that David's story is too ridiculous to be true. "A modern day Jeckal and
Hyde with a hint of the werewolf legend? I submit you killed both your
wife and Elaina Marks and then deliberately faked your own death."

"No." says David

The lawyer move over to David waving papers in his face. "I further submit
that this sham of a case be thrown out of court. Metamorphosis. Change on
a melachular level. It's all bull. You killed your wife Laura."

David starts to sweat and his heartrate continues to pound.

"You killed Elaina Marks. You are responsible for perpetrating this
remakable hoax." The lawyer yells in David's face.

"Don't do this." David pleads as he feels his pulse quicken. "You don't
know what you're doing. What you could be unleashing."

"Don't what? Expose a murderer and successful conman, who has evaded
justice for over 15 years. Who appears from the dead with a fairy tale
about wrongful accusation 'a crime he didn't commit' and a comic book story
of a man who is also a beast. Forgive my incredulity but I don't believe
in the easter bunny either."

David can feel the situation getting out of hand. It's everything he ever
feared. He's lived with this for so long now he takes it for granted,
forgetting the sheer outlandishness of his dilemma.

"No, it's not true." He yells "NOT TRUE!". He falls to his knees in the
witness box. "Too late" he says, feeling the first steps of the
transformation. The sweaty palms, the pounding heart.

"Yes Dr Banner too late. For you." The lawyer stops. "What are you
doing?" he asks "Theatrics won't work in this court room."

"STAY AWAY." Yells Banner his voice distorted by the change. STAY AWAY."

Banner feels the familiar tingle throughout his body at the transformation
begins. The bones begin to stretch to allow for the new body shape. 
Banner's body begins to change before the eyes of the startled court room. 
His shirt begins to tear under the increased strain. The chains that bind
him are torn apart as muscles and body tissue expand to accommodate
Banner's new size and shape. The creature stands from behind the witness
box and roars.

The startled jury begin to panic as the creature batters down the stand as
if it were cardboard. He advances on the guard in the courtroom who as
about to pull his gun. The creature takes it from his hand a crushes it
like a banana.

Jack McGee makes his way through the throng to the creature.

"Dr Banner. You don't want to hurt these people. Come with me."

The creature looks at McGee and growls. He pushes past him out into the
courthouse corridor. There are screams from the assembled masses outside
as the creature pauses unsure of which way to go. He decides on the direct
rout and crashes straight through a nearby wall. McGee follows, as do the
jury captivated by all that they've seen.

The creature bursts out of the wall on the other side and starts up the
street with McGee hot on his trail. The police are swiftly on the scene
and set up a road block using police cars and ambulances. The creature
runs down the street towards the police.

"If he doesn't stop – open fire" orders the chief.

The creature comes barrelling down the road woth no intention of stopping. 
McGee wheezes along behind him yelling at the police not to shoot – but his
pleas fall on deaf ears. 

The creature is now within 10 feet of the road block when he suddenly
stops. He notices the guns and pauses. He turns back the way he came just
as McGee catches up with him but the police are behind him as well.

"Banner. Listen to me." McGee says to the creature. "We can still beat
this."

The creature looks at him as if understanding.

"Raise your arms. Like this" says Mcgee as he demonstrates putting his
arms over his head.

The creature mimics McGee, but a policeman at the road block misunderstands
and thinking he is about to hit McGee opens fire.

The slug misses the creature and hits McGee in the leg. He fall to the
floor. The creature roars and turns to face the road block. He bends down
to pick up McGee and, showing remarkable tenderness, places him on his back
so as to shield him from the hail of bullets and is about to follow.

"SHOOT TO WOUND" yells the police chief. "SHOOT TO WOUND".

The police open fire. The creature takes a slug to the chest but bravely
battles forward. As the police try to take other shots he protects McGee
from the attack. He recieves another wound in the leg but refuses to
succumb. As he closes in on the road block the Chief orders his men to
hold fire.

The creature bleeding from numerous wounds gently carries to McGee to the
nearby ambulance and gives him over to the paramedics. He then settles
down at the side of the ambulance looking spent. A paramedic attends to
McGee.

"It's a wound to the leg." He says. "Not to serious."

"See to him" says McGee.

Another paramedic makes his way to the creature, who the police have
surrounded. He begins to attend to the wounds and the creature, to spent
to care.

"Look at this" he says astonished. "The wounds are closing up."

The creature suddenly starts to glow.

"What's happening?" asks the police chief.

"I don't know. I never seen anything like it." Resonds the paramedic.

The police start to advance forward.

"NO." yells McGee. "Leave him alone."

The police are too startled to move as they watch with slack jaws at the
startling transformation before their eyes.

The creature slowly begins to shrink in size. His musculature returns to
normal and his skin colour begins to lighten. The creature disappears ..
and in his place a bewildered David Banner.

"What happened?" he asks.

"We'll get these wounds cleared up and then get you back to the
courthouse." Says the Police Chief.

Banner and McGee are placed in the ambulance and taken away.

Epilogue

Banner stands with McGee on the steps of the court house. 
Banner's arm is in a sling and McGee is on crutches. He breathes in the
air and feels the sun on his face.

"How's it feel to be a free man? You have your life back Dr Banner." Says
McGee.

"Well, it's not totally over. The judge was kind enough to drop all
charges apart from the destruction of private property one. He was happy
with the doctor's diagnosis that I have a kind of amnesia following the
transformations and couldn't be held responsible for my actions. I've been
placed under the supervision of Dr Reed Richards, a research scientist in
New York. We're going to work together to see if we can find a way of
curing my .. problem. I get to be a scientist again. It's been a long
time."

"So.. A happy ending?" says McGee taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Not for you." Banner takes the cigarette from McGee's mouth and drops it
on the floor. "These things will kill you."

McGee smiles.

"How long?" asks Banner

"How long do any of us have?"

"True. You look after yourself Mr .. Jack. Keep in touch."

"You too.. David."

The two men shakes hands and Banner turns to leave. He picks up his
rucksack and looks towards the road. He places the sack over his shoulder
and walks off, toward the sun. Toward a new beginning.