¡Chica Fuerte!

I wrote a story below to go with the art above revolving around Rita, a character specifically created for the 1982 Incredible Hulk cartoon as the girlfriend of Rick Jones; the same Rick Jones that Bruce Banner saves by pushing him clear of the gamma ray explosion when his jeep stalls in the fallout zone thus causing the latter's transformation into the Hulk. The question here is, however, what if Rita had been in the jeep, too?

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Rick Jones knew he was too reckless for his own good yet would invariably get lucky or somehow find his way out of trouble. This particular day he decided the risk worth taking was a shortcut straight across the local army base not far from Mesa City. He and his girlfriend Rita were originally to meet later on when he'd finish work at her father's place, Rio's Ranchero, but, at the last minute, Rita decided to wait and they'd go together in his pick-up instead. It would be a fatal mistake.

In fact, the truck itself wasn't starting; further delaying their departure.

"Come on, Rick," moaned Rita. "We're late enough as it is. If we don't get moving the guys will start without us."

"I know," replied Rick earnestly. "I think I've nearly gotten it all sorted, though."

Indeed, it wasn't long before he slammed the hood down, put his waistcoat and cowboy hat back on, and jumped into the vehicle beside her. Reaching down for the keys he gingerly turned them, whincing in fear that it still wouldn't start.

"See!" he cried with relief when it eventually vroommmmed itself into life.

"I never had any doubts," Rita replied with a smile. And it was true. She liked how capable her boyfriend was. He always came through for her.

And so, they pressed forth right out of the cosy garage beside her father's restaurant and straight into the desert. It was evening and the light was fading, but their enthusiasm was in no way being diminished. They cracked the odd joke as they hit the road proper, but, when Rick viewed his watch again, he made the fateful decision to take a hard right and head towards an open hole in the fencing encircling the entire army base.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked a nervous Rita. "I know it's quiet, but this little side road still makes up part of the army base."

"It'll be fine, sugarplumb. I never see or hear them do anything with this part of the land whenever I drive by, and we'll knock a good twenty minutes off our journey with this detour."

As he spoke, Rita stared out the window and searched for any signs of life across the arid horizon, afraid that they might still be caught trespassing. Less concerned about it, Rick looked upon her instead, and then smiled to himself. She was lovely. Sutting there dressed in her signature pink shirt and white pants. A beautiful, happy-go-lucky young woman that he'd first met when applying for a job in the Ranchero. Her father wasn't impressed at first, of course, but Rick couldn't resist her, and, in the end, she couldn't resist him. They liked going and doing everything together now, but it wasn't always like that. Cocky though he may be, it took a while for Rick to build up the courage to tell her how he really felt. Thankfully, she revealed that she felt the same way when the moment arrived.

But there were things about Rita he didn't know. She wasn't always forthcoming and it took a while to reveal certain things. In fact, he didn't know what her surname was at the beginning. He hadn't even learned her father's despite actually working for him! He didn't care to know. He just needed work at the time. And after that, he just needed Rita. Rita LaRosa. But there was something else. The other part of her surname. The maternal addition, "La Fuerte". She didn't like including that part, but Rick wasn't sure why, and he never asked.

In reality, Rita thought a lot about this subject. She'd been an angry kid, frustrated by her mother abandoning them. Even in school she'd become known as "Chica Fuerte" for her strong, combative attitude, and for all the fights she'd get herself into. Chica Fuerte was a common thing to call a tough and rough girl. Ironically enough, Rick had thought of her in that way, too, but had never said it aloud.

Now older, Rita had managed to control that part of herself, and it was only this remaining, sweeter version that Rick fully knew and fell for. That was the way she wanted it, but it wasn't the way it would remain, for as they sped along that treacherous army road, Rick's pick-up broke down once more.

"Darn it anyway," he said. "You stay here, Rita, and I'll give it another look over."

She barely even heard him as he suddenly popped the hood again and left the truck in a hurry. She'd been distracted by the sight of a giant grey tower peeping over one of the balding hills nearby. It looked like a space rocket, yet still somehow different. What they hadn't realized was that they'd wandered into a testing zone for a gamma ray bomb created by one Dr. Bruce Banner. The same Dr. Banner who noticed their presence and now dashed out in an army jeep to warn them. What he didnt realize, however, was that the countdown had been restarted and had almost reached zero when all three were directly in the path of the blast.

Rick heard the jeep arriving and was confused at Dr. Banner walking towards him and telling him to leave the area. As he finally reached Rick, the alarm went off indicating that detonation was mere seconds away, so Bruce aggressively grabbed Rick and pulled him manically towards a nearby ditch for safety. What Bruce hadn't noticed due to the popped hood was that there was another occupant in the truck, a fact that Rick desperately tried to alert him to before he threw the young intruder and himself into the ditch.

BOOOOOM!

The bomb went off, with the impossibly loud blast splitting their ears and the accompanying shockwave lifting the jeep and truck through the air. Suddenly, the whole area was immersed in gamma radiation, including the striken Rita.

Rick was horrified and jumped back out of the ditch, ignoring Banner's cries to remain down, but he had to check on his girlfriend. When he'd pulled back the door of the mangled truck he found Rita unconcious inside, yet remarkably unharmed.

"We need to get her to a hospital!" shouted a desperate Rick.

When Rita had finally woken back up again, she found herself in a military hospital nearby. While rather dizzy and confused, she noticed Rick again by her side, and that neither of them were in the pick-up anymore.

"Don't you remember?" asked Rick. "There was an accident. That bomb went off. You nearly were killed. Somehow, though, you survived without a scratch. Even Dr. Banner says it's a miracle.

"Who is Dr. Banner?" she asked.

"That would be me," said a voice walking into the room and joining them. It was Bruce.

"Yeah, he grabbed me and threw us to safety where we both waited out the blast and resulting fallout."

"But you left me behind?" asked Rita.

"Well, he didn't know you were also in the van, and he had me in the ditch before I could fully tell him."

"I see," said an annoyed Rita. "You are usually more reliable than that, Rick," she continued.

RIck noticed then that she wasn't quite herself. At first, he thought it might just be from the blast. A concussion, or the like. But there was something else off about her. She seemed suddenly irritated by everything. Even when Banner pulled back the curtains and revealed the light, she shuddered. Like Rick, Bruce initially thought she might have taken a blow to the head...

"Don't worry, now that you're awake we're going to give you the full going over," he said. "You'll get the best treatment here."

"How did this all happen, though?" asked Rita. "Why were so few precautions taken despite such a dangerous bomb being tested? Even the fence was open to the base."

"Seems we had another intruder. One even before you guys. They tore through the fence without our knowledge."

"And so you came out to save us even thought the countdown was already on?" asked Rick.

"No, it wasn't supposed to go off at all. I ordered them to stop the count, so someone disobeyed me...we're currently investigating who or why."

"So someone deliberately put my life at risk? My boyfriend's? Your life?" asked Rita cooly.

"It's a possibility," Bruce replied, while casually looking at her chart. It was only then that he noticed her heart rate randomly going up despite her sitting still.

"It's OK, Rita, he said, "Once we get more tests done we'll know more about your condition. You just need to rest yourself."

"But I've never felt stronger," she growled, her voice notably increasing in volume.

"We know," replied Rick, "You've always been my tough little girl, my chica fuerte."

"What did you say?" asked Rita, her eyes widening. "What did you call me?"

"It's just a nickname, like when I call you 'sugarplumb'," he continued innocently.

"Oh, so I'm your little tough girl, eh, Rick?" she growled. "Well, I wonder how you'd feel if you met Chica Fuerte for real? I'm not sure she'd be so little either."

Rita then rose out of bed still in her clothes and grabbed a nearby chair, threatening them. As she lifted it over her head, both men noticed green lines inexplicably rushing up both of her arms and across her face. Her skin noticbly started to turn green, too.

"W-What's going on, Doc?" asked Rick.

"It must be the effect of the blast. The radiation has changed her somehow. I expected it to make her sick not make her...stronger. "

With that, Rita began to transform. She was taller now, and her limbs started to grow outwards. Even her hair changed to jet black; becoming fuller, longer, and wider than before. Her skin turned fully jade then, with her biceps stretching the upturned sleeves of her pink shirt to their limit, while her abs burst through the buttons. Her back grew enough to start ripping through the fabric as well, while her breasts filled the front of the shirt.

Meanwhile, her white pants couldn't take the strain anymore and her muscular legs quickly exploded through, leaving behind a makeshift set of daisy dukes covering her newly rounded and growing buttocks. Her feet and hands were huge now, too, and as she stood tall over them, all Bruce and Rick could do was back up and walk out of the room. It wasn't long, however, before a raging Rita had crashed through the wall, terrifying the staff of the military hospital. This incredible Fuerte if you will had truly been let loose, and no matter what the security guards threw at her, nothing seemed to leave a dent or slow her progress as she moved from room to room via the concrete walls.

After rampaging through the hospital for a time, she eventually smashed her way outside, with the beautiful female behemoth landing in the middle of the base quickly surrounded by whatever force the authorities could muster on such short notice.

Who or what was this green muscular monster? they wondered. Where had she come from? Whatever the case, they were determined to bring her down, and fast.

Rick, of course, knew and could only look on from the rubble of the retaining hospital wall she'd just exited from. He stood aghast as he saw her pulverise tank after tank without a single bullet marking her skin. His girlfriend seemed unstoppable.

"Yeesh," he said aloud, tipping his cowboy hat back on his head. "This is kind of hot and all, but someone's still got to stop this, right Doc? Doc?"

He turned to try find Banner, but he was suddenly gone. It had nothing to do with Rita aka Chica Fuerte's violent escapade. No, he'd been just there beside him. This was someone else's doing.

He saw the scene playing out then, from the same second floor of the hospital. He watched Bruce being led away by another scientist to a nearby jeep. It all seemed rather sinister to him. It was as if the distraction caused by Rita had provided cover to allow the villain to kidnap Bruce.

"Rita!" he screamed then, hoping she could hear him alone above all of the carnage."

When she finally heard him calling, she amusingly cried back "No Rita, only Fuerte!"

"Well, whatever!" said Rick in response. "It looks like there's some evil dude actually taking Bruce! You need to stop him!"

Without another thought, the green giant let out a roar and jumped straight over her remaining adversaries and crashed down perfectly on the bonnet of the escaping car. She then reached through the window and produced the treacherous scientist.

"Hey, you don't need to be so rough with him!" cried Rick again, but it wouldn't be long before he'd regret those words as the villainous scientist wasn't what he represented himself to be. Even Rita noticed then the mechanical arm hanging down by their side, complete with a small layer of rather convincing but completely artificial flesh.

"H-He's a robot?!" exclaimed Rick, fleeing as fast as he could downstairs to be at her side. When he arrived, he found them both duking it out, and it wasn't long before the skin was torn completely free leaving only an exoskeleton behind. It was an exceptional strong device but a few punches more from the empowered, hulkish Rita and it was no more than spare parts on the ground. As it lay there, defeated, she stomped the pieces until they were dust. All that remained then was its head, which Rick cautiously picked up.

"Why are you here?" he asked, not sure if there would be an actual response.

"To get my gamma ray formula," said Bruce. "It was they who apparently breached the fence this morning, who set off the bomb against my orders in an attempt to kill me. They knew generally where the formula was, but when their plan to kill me failed, they decided to instead bring me back to my dorm here on the base and force me to show them the location exactly. One way or another they were going to get it."

"Yes," the head suddenly buzzed. "And I would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for that green menace. But don't worry, this isn't over, Banner, and we'll be back."

Just as they said this, Rita took the head from Rick's hand and easily crushed it between her fingers.

"You are the one that tried to kill us! Fuerte smash!"

"Thanks for saving me," said Bruce then, "Now let me help you, Rita. I'm sure there's a way of reversing this and-"

Before he could continue, however, the sound of numerous helicopters could be heard overhead and fighter jets approached from the east. New rows of tanks were being prepared, and an enourmous amount of troops readied themselves for an all out assault.

Rita was furious but instead of engaging with them, she flung herself into the sky and towards the mountains beyond. It wasn't long before she was off their rader for good. Bruce and Rick agreed not to tell Thunderbolt Ross the truth, nor any of the other commanders. To them, this character was a green monster who had just arrived alongside the robot and was still out there, not realizing it was also Rita.

In fact, amidst the chaos, a grateful Bruce helped Rick get off the base, giving him a jeep in order to search for Rita.

Where had she gone, though? While pretty indestructible now, she surely wasn't totally OK. Not mentally anyway. She was out-of-control after all. He also felt this was partly his fault, and he wanted to apologise. He wanted to say again how much he loved her. Wanted to be at her side and face whatever was coming her way together, whether it be as Rita or as a hulk.

Rita herself stood triumphant, muscular and green over Mesa. Her angry eyes stared down on the city and thoughts filled her head of inflicting all of her rage upon the buildings. She felt like she could do anything now. She wasn't holding back that fiercesome part of herself anymore. Chica Fuerte was free; or was she? Suddenly, as thoughts of Rick and her father replaced the images of wanton destruction in her mind, the anger subsided, and her body started to deflate and go back to its regular size. She stood there then, in the rags of her pink shirt and her white pants, only half remembering everything that had occurred. She looked down on the city again, but now it didn't seem so small or weak compared to her. She was afraid of it. Of the world around her. How would she get out of this mess? How would she get home? Would they still be chasing even though she was normal again? Or was this monster inside of her forever?

As she pondered away, she suddenly sensed a set of headlights appearing behind her, and then could hear a car horn beeping. She feared the worst; that the army had already caught up with her.

"Rita, it's me!" the driver said instead.

"Rick?!" she replied, running towards him. They embraced and he got to deliver his apology. In return, she said sorry for actually doubting him. He had, indeed, come through for her again.

As they both got into the jeep and headed towards Mesa, Rita stared into the side mirror. There was dirt on her face that she proceeded to clean off.

"So, how do you really feel?" asked Rick. "Is it all over?"

She didn't reply at first, studying her own pupils intently. It was only then that she noticed that there was a little green now embedded in the usual brown.

"No, Rick, I feel it's only the beginning...'

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If people liked this story, for fun I might continue it in the future.