At 6 AM Jen received a message from an unknown number.
'Come to these coordinates and prove to yourself that you're more than a savage monster. I hope you accept this opportunity – Sophist'
She should have ignored it or called the Avengers. Instead, she got dressed and went to the coordinates, walking into what was definitely a trap because a part of her wanted this. A chance to prove something to someone, even if they were a villain.
The location was an abandoned factory, large and empty. Sophist was standing in the centre with his expression neutral.
"You came. Good."
"What is this?" Jen asked, transforming into She-Hulk.
"A scenario. I've covered this factory with multiple opponents designed to test one thing. Your control," Sophist replied, gesturing at all the empty space. "The scenario will begin when you enter the marked area," Sophist added, pulling out a tablet.
Jen looked at the factory floor and saw the markings.
"What's the catch?"
"You'll be fighting yourself. This is a chance to prove yourself wrong along with the many critics, including myself," Sophist replied.
Jen should have left. She knew she was being manipulated into playing his fucked-up game, but the idea of proving something was too tempting.
"If this is another trap..."
"Trap? The courtroom wasn't a trap. It was an intervention. This is a test. You're free to leave anytime, but something is telling me you want this," Sophist replied, stepping back.
He was right, and she hated that he was right. Jen sighed and then walked into the marked area.
The hologram materialised thirty feet away. It was her but different. Her stance was defensive, almost cowering.
"I don't belong here. I'm not a real hero or lawyer. Just someone who got lucky." The version spoke first.
This was her fear given form. The belief that she hadn't earned her power.
"They're right about me. I'm a monster. If I lose control, how many will die? All it takes is a bad day," Fear-Hulk continued, backing away.
"You're not real," Jen said, approaching carefully.
"One day you'll realise. One day you'll open your eyes to a building on fire, the smell of ash and burning flesh. You'll see their blood on your hands and their charred bodies. So much pain and misery all because we lost control. All because we kept on telling everyone it'll all be okay," Fear-Hulk's voice cracked.
Jen felt her anger rising. This was exactly what the media thought she would become. What she would do and what she was trying not to believe.
"Shut up."
"You know I'm right. You've always known this day would come one day. It was only a matter of time. We're just monsters wearing human clothes. You'll come to know when you're holding the dead body of a friend you killed, because you lost control," Fear-Hulk replied, disdain in her voice.
Jen charged forward and grabbed Fear-Hulk, slamming her into the ground, the hologram shattering into light.
The second opponent was different, her stance more aggressive than the last one. This one was smiling.
"Finally. Finally, someone not weak," Rage said.
She rushed Jen, fast and brutal, throwing strikes without a care. Jen blocked and countered, the two exchanging blows. Each exchange got stronger and stronger.
"This is what you really want! No restraint, just the thrill and freedom to hit whatever the fuck you want until they break," Rage roared between attacks.
"That's not..."
"It felt good punching Titania, didn't it? The feeling of her blood on your knuckles after each strike. The feeling of letting go. We don't want control," Rage cut Jen off, connecting a vicious uppercut.
Jen hit back harder, feeling the satisfaction of the impact.
"There it is. The truth. You enjoy this," Rage laughed.
The third opponent appeared while they were grappling. Her inferiority.
"You'll never be strong. Titania and Sophist proved that. You can't even control yourself, let alone win a case on your own without abusing our status," Inferiority said quietly.
Jen released Rage, turning to Inferiority.
"I beat Titania."
"Barely. Captain Marvel needed to interfere because if she didn't, you would have killed her. You lost control," Inferiority replied, gesturing at Rage.
Jen could feel herself getting angrier, her control slipping. The fourth opponent materialised, Jealously. She looked at Jen with resentment.
"Bruce gets to be the Hulk, the strongest there is. A legend. We're just a knock-off, compared to the original," Jealously said.
"I'm not..."
"Carol gets respect without even trying. Thor is worshipped, and Tony is revered. We have to work twice as hard to get even half of their recognition, all because we aren't special enough. We're just another hero in a world saturated with them," Jealously interrupted.
All four opponents were active now, circling her and berating her.
"We're monsters."
"Let go. Feel the thrill."
"We'll never be good enough."
"We're nobodies compared to them."
Jen's control shattered. She roared in fury and charged at all of them.
She grabbed Fear, throwing her through a wall, the hologram shattering before immediately reforming. Rage met her head on, both of them crashing together. Jen bit down on Rage's shoulder.
"You can't win. You're not strong enough..." Inferiority spoke, grabbing Jen from behind and locking her arms.
Jen headbutted backward, shattering the hologram before it reformed again.
"They'll always love them more..." Jealousy yelled, kicking Jen in the ribs.
Jen caught her leg and twisted it, breaking it. The hologram screamed before it reformed. Four opponents became eight, and as their number increased, so did Jen's violence, and she didn't care.
She destroyed them all. They kept on reforming and talking. The numbers kept multiplying. Sixteen. Thirty-Two. Sixty-Four.
The factory was chaos. Versions of She-Hulk were everywhere, all attacking and speaking. Jen couldn't escape them even by destroying them, but she tried anyway. Fist, teeth and legs. A savage fury.
This was the She-Hulk. The savage. The monster underneath all that superhero bravado and lawyer work. It felt good.
Mike was watching from the observation platform, his hands shaking. This wasn't the plan.
Jen was supposed to confront her emotional baggage and accept it as a part of who she is, not destroy them. It was supposed to teach her that the more she tried to push them away, the worse it got. She was supposed to realise that and stop fighting.
Instead, she went rabid.
Mike pulled out the control tablet and started to shut everything down. The holograms wouldn't deactivate. The A.I wouldn't listen to him anymore. They continued to fight while Jen tore through them with increased savagery.
"Stop! Jen, stop fighting! This is escalating beyond..." Mike called out.
She didn't hear him, nor did she care. She was too far gone in rage. Mike teleported down to the factory floor to get close enough to force a shutdown. A hologram lunged at him. Mike teleported away. He needed to reach Jen.
He saw her in the centre of the chaos. She had turned into the same savage that she always feared.
Mike had caused this. His wrong assumption that she would prevail. The factory was starting to crumble with each punch.
Mike reached the power source, killing the entire system. The holograms vanished like they never existed. Jen was still in the centre, her focus now on Mike, her hair wild. Mike pulled out a gun, shooting her with a needle, reverting her to normal.
She fell to the ground and looked around her, disorientated, like she was waking up from a long dream. The factory was falling apart, rubble scattered around her.
"What... What did I..." She tried to speak, her voice rough.
She looked at Mike and for a moment. She wasn't sure if she attacked him.
"Jennifer..." Mike spoke, approaching carefully.
"Get away from me," she replied, her voice hollow.
"I didn't intend..."
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"I'm sorry. You were supposed to..." Mike replied, backing away with his hands raised.
"You act surprised? You made me confront everything I hate about myself, and you act surprised? This is what you wanted, right? To break me?" Jen interrupted, standing up, shaking.
"This is what I do. I force heroes to confront..." Sophist tried to speak.
"You don't know me! When did I ask for any of this?" Jen's voice rose.
Mike paused. "I'm sorry. I thought..."
"You thought you were clever. You thought you could fix me and thought you understood me more than everyone else. All you did was prove everyone right," Jen replied, her voice bitter.
She walked towards the exit, stumbling and catching herself. Mike wanted to help. To fix this. He couldn't. Mike was now alone in the factory. His scenario failed.
But he couldn't let that stop him. Jen was heading towards self-destruction if no one intervened. He tried telling himself it was for selfish reasons, to keep her sane to fight what was coming. He couldn't admit he was getting attached to everyone.
That just made him hate himself for what he was doing to them.