The Hulk-buster weapons proved ineffective, unable to penetrate or harm his Hulk-skin. He had destroyed the detention room and escaped through the elevator shaft. The soldiers would be trapped in the subterranean prison since he had destroyed the elevator mechanism when he had propelled his powerful body like a missile through the roof of the building. Hulk grinned, enjoying the feeling of power in his hyper-muscular body. His legs had generated enough force to leap three and half miles straight up and still demolish roof made from 6 inches of hardened steel. No one is stronger than Hulk! He wanted to believe that, but there was the other one, the one named Scott.

The thought of Scott made Hulk angry, and the anger fueled his strength. His muscles tightened and his body grew slightly larger. His shoulders widened, his arms thickened, his pecs and lats bulged, and his legs -- those incredibly powerful legs, pressed against each other harder demanding more room. NO ONE WILL BE STRONGER THAN HULK!

Banner's thoughts took over. The school must have been alerted that Hulk was coming. No one was in sight. Good. He could meet up with Brandon. Banner had an idea. It wouldn't work for him, but if Brandon would agree to work with him, he should be able to change the man. If it worked.

Banner's thoughts were interrupted. Hulk saw two people on the other side of the field. One was small, maybe six feet or less. The person was skinny and no threat. The other, though, was big and thick. The two were backlit, so Hulk could only see their shadows.

"Hulk!" It was a voice with a Russian accent that Hulk recognized. Hulk saw the big creature lift the skinny person by the neck. "Remember what I did to Betty Ross. YOUR BETTY. Should I do the same to this?"

At the sound of Betty's name, Hulk's anger exploded. Betty was dead, and Blonsky was to blame. Hulk felt a surge of strength and power, and Banner's thoughts were forced into the back of Hulk's mind as his primitive fight instincts took over. Hulk began to run toward Abomination, feeling his strength pass anything the creature could withstand. Hulk remembered that Abomination was stronger than him normally, but the madder Hulk got, the easier it was to beat the other gamma creature. And Hulk was furious.

As Hulk ran, his pecs bounced, rising higher as his anger caused them to grow thicker and stronger. His quads, hamstrings and calves exploded with size, each muscle fiber thickening and becoming more defined. His biceps pressed against his forearms as each pulsed with new strength. ABOMINATION NOT STRONGER THAN HULK NOW!

Hulk saw Abomination throw the skinny person to the ground and begin to run at him. This is the way the two had met. That time, Hulk wasn't prepared. He had been overpowered by Blonsky's strength. Each of the creatures arm was as powerful as his body. No longer. Banner had drained him, made him weaker so Hulk could smash. Hulk will smash now. Hulk prepared to hit Abomination with all his might and all his anger. It would be a short fight, and Hulk would win.

Hulk's speed increased as he got madder. As the two muscle beasts closed in, Banner sensed something was wrong. Hulk didn't care, and surpressed the Banner personality behind his growing anger. Hulk flexed his fist, ready to pound Abomination as they hit. In the microsecond before they met, Hulk realized that Abomination had changed. He wasn't green. He had normal skin. His web ears were gone, and he had hair. Smashing would be easy. Hulk drew back and let loose a punch with the power of a nuclear bomb.

Blonsky had picked up Scott by the neck to enrage the Hulk. He reminded him how he had killed Banner's wife to fuel that rage. Blonsky wanted Hulk at full power to show the beast that no matter how strong he could get, Emil Blonsky was stronger. It had worked. Hulk charged him. History was about to repeat itself. Blonsky prepared his fist, ready to strike.

Scott had read about the first encounter. "They hit with a force that shook the mountains," the report had said. As Blonsky and Hulk collided, each threw a punch into the other's chest. Both had flexed their chest armor, knowing that the hardness and density of the muscle would easily deflect the other's weaker blow. The Hulk's fist pounded into Blonsky's thick pec but couldn't dent the round, hard muscle. Blonsky's fist crashed through Hulk's pec, pressing inches into the gamma-strengthened muscle fibers. A sound like an atomic blast erupted as the combatants collided, shaking the ground like an earthquake. Blonsky's legs and torso absorbed the Hulk's inertia as the Russian blasted into him, forcing him into the air and driving him backward.

The Hulk shot through the air and landed where he had started. Blonsky was there moments later. "Remember what I said Hulk, 'Never before has anyone withstood your strongest attack and beat you with an onslaught still stronger!' I did it then and I did it now!"

"No one beats back Hulk!" the beast said, feeling even angrier at his humiliation. His muscles expanded, becoming thicker and denser with more strength. The Hulk punched Blonsky in his abs. Blonsky hadn't even flexed the muscles, but the Hulk's fist bounced off with no effect what so ever.

Blonsky laughed, reliving his first triumph over the beast. Again, Hulk punched. Blonsky grabbed the Hulk's hand, stopping it. The Hulk's muscles pushed, and jerked to a complete stop by Blonsky's greater power. He pulled the Hulk's arm up with such force, his massive body was lifted. Blonsky swung the Hulk over his head and tossed him backward, sending him scraping on the ground for yards.

"I called you a brainless beast then, Banner. Remember? Do you still retain his thoughts now, Hulk, or are you too angry? It doesn't matter. Remember what I said next? 'My natural power is greater than yours!'" The Hulk tried to get up, but Blonsky raised a single fist and slammed it into the Hulk's back, sending the Hulk crashing into the ground. "When I am ready, I will have you helpless."

The Hulk moaned and felt himself angrier than he had ever been. He looked at Blonsky. "I've heard your speeches before," Hulk snarled, forcing Banner to think for him. "When they called you Ravager of Worlds, and Galaxy Master restored your strength. I told you then, the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets. You could be ten times stronger than me. All Hulk has to do is get ten times as mad."

"Then why haven't you?"

Hulk stands up, towering above Blonsky, his gamma-charged body growing and expanding with new power fueled by his growing anger. Hulk raised a double fist. Hulk's muscles flexed and tensed, larger than he's ever seen them. Hulk has reached the boiling point. His lats expanded and power a double fisted punch toward Blonsky's head.

Blonsky raises a single arm, catching the Hulk's punch. Hulk pushes Blonsky's arm down with great effort, the momentum of the punch slowing. Hulk pushes with all his ever increasing might, but to no avail. Blonsky stops the downward motion, holding the Hulk's arms motionless with his single, massive arm.

The Hulk lets out a scream in anger and frustration. Blonsky laughs at him. "Get madder. I don't care. I can still stop you single handed. What can more anger do, require me to use to hands?" Blonsky laughs harder, then stops. "I think my fun is done," he says. "I'm through toying with you."

Blonsky flexed his free arm in Hulk's face, showing him the size and thickness of his arm. Hulk looks down, and deep in his mind, he hears Banner think, 'My god, his arm is as thick as Hulk's legs!'. It's the last coherent thought Banner will have. Blonsky's makes a fist and punches Hulk hard, sending him flying 100 yards into the air, nearly knocking him out.

Inside the physics building, Brandon had slid back the lockers and was exploring Scott's lab. He saw equations and the gamma ray generator, but none of it made any sense to him. Suddenly, he felt the building shake. He looked around, fearing Scott had found him, but no. He ran out of the lab and up the stairs. Outside, he saw the Hulk. He was getting up and facing the man who use to be the Abomination. Hulk looked angry. He raised both his hands to crush his opponent. The handsome blonde man raised a single hand and overpowered the Hulk! "Fuck!" Brandon couldn't believe what he was seeing. The blonde man then made a fist and punched Hulk, sending him flying into the air. Brandon watched, and saw Hulk coming toward him. Brandon moved into the shadows.

The Hulk landed ten yards in front of the physics building. The blonde man ran over, covering the distance faster than a sprinter could. Scott joined him.

"Told you," said Scott to Blonsky. "He may get stronger when he gets madder, but there are limits. He's always been too dumb to realize that. The gamma rays strengthened him, but they are not an infinite power source. Anger activitates them in him, and it can nearly double his power, but not quite."

"When he said that before?" Blonsky asked.

"He scared you. He psyched you out, and you believed him. This time, you believed me."

The Hulk moaned and began to move.

Blonsky lifted the Hulk up and shook him. The Hulk opened his eyes. Blonsky put him down and the Hulk staggered a bit, then shook it off.

Blonsky stood still, smacking a fist into the palm of his hands. Each smack sounded louder than thunder. He smacked harder, and the sound became louder. "Nothing alive can withstand my next punch," Blonsky bragged.

Brandon made his move. He leapt out from his hiding place and grabbed the Hulk, pushing him 20 yards away from Blonsky. He placed his arm around the grogger beast, and before Blonsky could react, told the Hulk to jump. Four legs of unimagined power squatted then leapt away.

Blonsky made signs as if to go after them, but Scott stopped them. "Don't worry, they'll be back. And when they come back, we'll be ready for them." •