It's been about a week since Prime gifted his two daughters with the newly born symbionts. So far, there haven't been any visible changes in Ema or Annie. Both also mentioned to Prime that they still couldn't hear their symbionts, as he had said they would be able to.

This initially caused a strong depression in Ema, who felt inadequate to be like her father and her sister. However, Prime easily calmed her down by explaining that he did it this way himself to ensure their safety. After all, Prime wanted to avoid at all costs the possibility of another crazy symbiont trying to attack him.

Even more so when these symbionts were his own daughters. Anyway, when the weekend came, Prime, along with Sara, Ema, and Annie, were now on a busy bridge connecting the districts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Except for Prime, none of the girls in the car knew exactly where they were going, as Prime only said it would be a surprise.

"We're getting pretty far from home. Where exactly are we going?" Sara asked, her hand resting on her chin as she glanced boredly at the horizon.

"Not yet. When we're almost there, I'll tell you. If I say it now, it would spoil the surprise. But don't worry, another thirty or forty minutes and we'll be there" Prime replied with a subtle smile on his face.

"Daddy, can we eat something on the way? I'm hungry" Ema commented, sitting in one of the back seats of the car.

"Of course" replied Prime.

As they advanced, and almost reaching the end of the bridge, Prime noticed something strange up ahead. There seemed to be a big traffic jam, which he found peculiar since it was technically the weekend, meaning fewer cars. Or at least that's how it was until they reached the final stretch of the bridge.

"Why all of a sudden this traffic jam?" Sara asked beside Prime.

There were many cars ahead, making it difficult for Prime to see. However, even with his senses reduced by not being in his main body, he could sense that something was wrong with the traffic jam. Not with the traffic jam itself, but with the reason why it had been created. Prime just hoped he was wrong.

As these thoughts crossed Prime's mind, he suddenly noticed a red dot ahead, raised. Prime tilted his head a little more to try to identify what exactly that dot was. Suddenly, another dot, this time black, and again, a third, this time green. Until Prime finally realized that they weren't dots, but cars.

At that moment, Prime tried to reverse when he realized that something was approaching, but ended up lightly colliding with the car behind him. In short, the car was completely stuck in the traffic jam.

More and more cars were being thrown, something that everyone began to notice. Prime simply turned his gaze to Sara, who was already staring at him. As soon as Sara nodded, Prime's body quickly dissipated, surprising both Annie and Ema.

Shortly after, Sara's body began to grow as it was enveloped in a kind of reddish armor, accompanied by a white hood. Neither Annie nor Ema had seen that form before, although they knew that Prime and Sara were her. Still, Annie was confused, as she couldn't understand why her father would have activated that form.

"Girls, stay in the car and wait for me" said Prime, addressing Annie and Ema.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

After saying that, Prime began to jump between cars, advancing further ahead on the bridge. Arriving at a certain point, Prime finally managed to see what was throwing the cars aside, clearing a path.

(Hulk?) Sara thought in Prime's mind.

Just as Sara had said, Prime couldn't describe him any other way: big, muscular, and seeming angry. These were the main characteristics that Prime had in mind when he thought of Hulk, except for one of them, which was quite different from the Hulk Prime remembered.

"But since when is the Hulk red? Also, it seems like he's looking for someone, since he's looking inside all the cars. The Hulk I know was more... destructive?" Prime commented, his words laden with uncertainty.

Although Prime wasn't sure what was happening, he knew that if things continued this way, the Red Hulk would eventually reach Ema and Annie. He needed to avoid that at all costs.

Prime was pondering how to proceed when Red Hulk noticed him. To Prime's surprise, a smile crept onto his lips, as if indicating he had finally found what he was looking for.

(I have a feeling he was after you...) Sara commented in Prime's mind.

“I'm getting that vibe too, for some reason” Prime replied.

Upon hearing Prime's words, Red Hulk roared and then leaped toward him. Much to Prime's surprise, Red Hulk was much faster than the Green Hulk he had faced before. Prime still didn't fully understand what was happening or why Bruce had transformed this way, but one thing was certain: he wouldn't stand still, waiting to be beaten.

While still in the air, Prime stretched his arms, creating tendrils that quickly wrapped around Red Hulk. In one swift motion, Prime spun and hurled him against the bridge's concrete, creating a hole that pierced the structure, causing Red Hulk to plummet.

(That's gonna hurt tomorrow) Sara remarked.

“He'll thank me later” Prime shrugged.

From where Prime stood, he couldn't be sure if Red Hulk had fallen into the sea or not. His doubts were answered seconds later when the sound of something breaking filled the air. Prime soon felt his legs being seized by something. Looking down, he saw large red hands gripping his leg.

“What...” Prime murmured, surprised.

Before Prime could finish speaking, he was abruptly yanked downward, creating another small hole in the bridge.

“Bruce... Hulk, whatever, it's me. You need to calm down. I don't want to hurt you” Prime said as he was held upside down by Red Hulk.

Contrary to Prime's expectations, he realized he had made a crucial mistake, something he only realized now that he was face to face with Red Hulk.

“I... am not... Bruce, let alone the Hulk” Red Hulk growled as he brought his face closer to Prime's.

Staring into Red Hulk's yellow eyes, Prime realized for the first time that he had no idea who he was dealing with.

(Prime... I don't think he's Bruce, let alone any friend of ours) Sara commented in Prime's mind. This time, her voice clearly conveyed concern about the situation.

As he felt confused by the situation, Red Hulk grabbed Prime's head and then slammed it onto the bridge's concrete. The impact was so strong that Prime clearly felt a tremor. However, Prime didn't expect that to happen.

Creating four tendrils that emerged from his back, Prime grabbed Red Hulk's hands and began to push them away. Despite being surprised by the sudden attack, Prime wondered why Red Hulk seemed surprised by the current situation.

“As I expected, you're really strong, too strong to be contained. Therefore, a threat that must be eliminated” Red Hulk said, increasing the strength in his hands even more.

Even facing more resistance, Prime still believed he could break free. As soon as the opportunity arose, he sent one of his tendrils to the back of Red Hulk and quickly wrapped it around his neck. With that done, he finally managed to free himself from his hands and hurled him into the ocean below.

Once he was free, Prime could see the reason for the earlier tremor on the bridge: one of the pillars was cracked. From what he could discern, it was only a matter of time before the pillar gave way. As a consequence, the entire bridge would collapse, taking with it all the cars that were on it.

“This... isn't good, is it?” Sara asked in Prime's mind, her voice clearly laden with nervousness.

“No, this isn't good” Prime replied, his mind working overtime trying to find a way to navigate through the situation.

Additionally, although subtle, Prime noticed that the water where Red Hulk had fallen began to bubble. It didn't take an expert to realize that the fight was far from over.