Note: 00 means seen change in the same story line. 000000 means the story line is changing.
Chapter 10: Smash!
When Captain America first arrived, the world knew it would never be the same. After he vanished into history, more meta humans began surfacing, shaking the very fabrics of the known world. They possessed abilities varying from bending spoons to gravity manipulation. Some used their powers to help others, while others sought only personal gain. Either way, it only served to prove that the world was becoming stranger by the day.
Bruce Banner was a brilliant scientist specializing in the field of gamma radiation. He believed that his research could be the key to unlocking the secrets of the meta gene for people everywhere. He believed it could grant people incredible strength, reinforce their bodies against the world around them, or even give them rapid healing and regeneration. He believed it was the secret to creating the strongest form of humanity.
Smart-ass, thought Toruun as she smashed hard into the ground, the slashes that she'd carved into the Hulk's flesh with her blade already sealing. She briefly wondered if the conclusion had come from spending too much time with Laura recently before shaking her head and returning her attention to the fight in front of her.
The Hulk had changed little over the past year and a half. He was still giant, green, and ragged, his scraggly beard and long white hair only adding to the thought. His weather lined face was a mask of fury as he beat Logan hard into the frozen Canadian ground. Laura ineffectually climbed atop his back and jabbed him continuously in the shoulder blades with her claws. Her efforts were rewarded by the giant's sudden back flop, crushing her beneath its weight.
Toruun gave a sympathy wince, vividly remembering how her previous assaults had produced similar results. In fact, if it wasn't for her Asgardian blood, Toruun would've died nearly a dozen times since the start of the fight. Obviously, the Hulk's legendary ferociousness hadn't dulled with age, nor his temper. If anything, he appeared to be even stronger than he had been back in the prime of his youth. The only explanation the young Avenger could conjure was that he had achieved the highest form of fury a male could obtain: Angry Old Man.
Toruun rose unsteadily to her feet as Thor rushed in towards the monster. With a heave, he slammed his hammer into the side of the giant's face, sending it staggering backwards. The Hulk recovered quickly, however, swing his right arm out to send the Thunder God tumbling into the trees.
The girl growled angrily, launching forward into flight as her hand extended to summon her blade from wherever it fell. Her fingers clasped the familiar worn grip of the handle as it responded to her magical hail. Without skipping a beat, she swung the blade up in an arc, ready to bring it crashing down into his shoulder.
A giant green fist knocked her clear before she even made contact. She slammed into the earth and skipped like a stone, gouging through the soil as she passed. Pain consumed her so thoroughly that she hadn't even realized that she'd stopped moving until Laura was pulling her clear of the dirt. Laura held the girl steady as Toruun dazedly got her feet, trying to get an understanding of the current situation even though the world wouldn't stop spinning.
Thor and Wolverine were still engaging the Hulk, but they were far away. Granted, they weren't as far away as it felt like the blonde had flown, but they were still about a hundred yards out. Laura was next to her, seemingly unaware of how badly her clothes were torn as she pulled out a branch that had impaled her through her stomach. In seconds, the wound was healed and gone, just like perhaps a thousand more just like it. Toruun had to admit, that healing factor was invaluable, especially in situations like the one they were currently in.
"We're getting pounded out here, literally," commented the young mutant as though she hadn't even noticed the fact that she had just survived a fatal wound. "We need a plan."
"I have a plan," growled Toruun angrily, returning her gaze to the battle. "Beat down the Hulk, drag him back to the tower, and make him help fix the portal so that I can get James back!"
The dark haired girl frowned, a dark look crossing her face. Immediately, the Asgardian felt a force slam into her face, knocking her back into the snow. For a moment, the blonde was frozen in shock. Jumping to her feet, Toruun whirled around to face the mutant who was dusting off her knuckles from the punch.
"What the hell was that for?!" she yelled, her face flushed. Laura didn't miss a beat.
"For being a complete idiot! You want to use the exact same plan that we've used this entire fight to try and take this guy down, even though it's failed at every turn? We need a real strategy here, not recklessness! And yes, I realize the irony in the fact that it's me of all people giving this speech. Huh, maybe I should appreciate Red more for being the one who always says this kind of stuff... UGH! The point is, THIS ISN'T WORKING! We need a plan! I get that you're upset and worried about James, but that's no excuse to be stupid! Whining and throwing a fit won't save anyone."
Toruun glared. "What do you know about it, huh? Since when did you care about looking before you leap?"
"Since my boyfriend disappeared and left me worrying about whether he was even alive anymore."
Toruun froze, suddenly overcome with shame. How could she have forgotten? Hawkeye was gone too, just like James. Of course Laura was feeling the exact same way that Toruun herself was. If anyone could understand what she was feeling, it was the mutant. But there she was, the normally wild and violet spit-fire managing to keep calm and analyze the situation enough to realize that panicking and worrying would help no one.
And yet, what had the Asgardian done? Exactly that. She'd all but fallen apart in the span of a few days, lost without James. It was no different than when Tony had been captured by Ultron.
Laura's expression remained firm. "Look, I get that you're worried, but you have to focus on the here and now. We need a plan, and James isn't here to give us one. Neither is Hawkeye, or Tony, or even Azari. It's just the four of us, and out of all of us, you're the only one who can handle this. Now handle it."
Toruun took a deep, steadying breath, accepting the truth of her sister's words. Looking into then dark haired girl's eyes, she nodded her readiness. With a nod in return, the mutant stepped back to let the blonde take the lead. Toruun returned her gaze to the fight, calmer now as she analyzed the battle.
Thor whipped his hammer down, preparing to bring it crashing down on the monster's head. Instantly, the Hulk lifted his right arm, catching the blow hard on his forearm. Bellowing in pain, he propelled his left fist out, catching the god hard in his torso, before swinging down to bring the Asgardian crashing into the snow.
The Hulk had barely broken contact when Logan was racing up his arm, claws swiping out to tear gashes into the creature's face. Roaring with pain and fury, the gamma beast stumbled backward, uselessly swinging his hands, hoping to catch his assailant. Wolverine had already dove to the ground with a roll, landing in a crouch with his claws raised menacingly.
Toruun was already pulling them back.
"I have a plan," she informed them, her eyes never leaving the giant as he wiped the blood from his eyes. "I need you all to do exactly as I say, got it? We're only going to get one shot at this, so if we mess it up, we're done."
Heads nodded all around. Thor smiled softly as she began issuing orders. She's grown up, was his only thought.
00
"Ready?" Asked Toruun as the Hulk began shifting forward. She was answered by three stiff nods as they all got into fighting positions. "THEN MOVE!"
Immediantly, Thor stepped forward and took his hammer into his right hand. Twirling it slowly, Mjornir gathered momentum with each swing until it was a whirlwind mass. With a war cry that the gamma beast echoed with total enthusiasm, the god charged forward, with the monster rushing to meet him.
Just before they met, Thor flew away.
The Hulk blinked in total confusion as the Asgardian rushed above the treetops, thunder rumbling from the skies to greet him. His confusion was interrupted when pain erupted from him legs. Shooting his gaze downward, he just barely caught sight of the form of Laura as she skidded across the snow, out from between his legs. Instantly, she was up and moving, putting distance between herself and the bellowing monster.
As the Hulk moved to pursue her, pain flared along his right side. He whipped around, swinging his arm to strike the source of his pain, only for his blow to pass harmlessly over the curled form of Wolverine as he rolled away. The green monster was ready to chase after him when a force slammed into his back, driving its blades into his shoulders. Sheathing her claws, Laura kicked off the giants back, back flipping to land in a crouch facing the creature before propelling herself between his legs a second time, slashing as his thighs as she went. Hopping to her feet, the girl sprinted clear.
Before he even had time to expect it, a gash was ripped into his left side as Logan rushed over the snow, pulling away before the monster could retaliate and moving back towards the trees.
The sound of rushing footsteps made the Hulk whip around behind him. In front of him, Laura sprinted towards him, claws ready to strike. The giant crouched, wise now to her tactic of sliding between his legs. Even if she change her motion to something else, he would be prepared.
She didn't even slow down. There was no hesitation in her steps as she rushed towards him, ready to crush her.
When she was just meters away, a force slammed into his right side, pain arching from his shoulder as something stuck fast. Momentarily distracted, he missed his chance to stop the girl from passing once more between his legs, slashing into his calves. Before she had traveled three feet, she used her foot claws to halt her progress, launching to her feet. Instantly, she was stabbing into his left shoulder, sticking fast by using her foot claws to anchor herself. After a moment, the Hulk realized that the force sticking to his right was her father.
"NOW TORUUN!" screamed Laura, her voice echoing between the mountians.
For the first time, the giant realized that he hadn't seen the blonde haired girl since Thor had charged him. She'd just... vanished. The only sign of her was her sword lodged into the ground some distance away. The Hulk's eyes widened as he realized the implications. Instantly, he moved to swing his arm around to forcibly dislodge his assailants-
-and stopped short. His eyes widened even further as he realized he couldn't move his arm. It simply hung there, limp as a corpse. A theory darted through his mind as pain danced across his shoulders. A quick glance confirmed his fears.
Their claws were in his tendons. They dug deep, cutting off the flow of electrical signals from the shoulder down, making it impossible to move his arms to defend himself. The mutants weren't attacking him; they were restraining him.
00
The sound of Laura's yell touched Toruun's ear, the echo from the mountains carrying her voice across the many miles that separated them. Since the moment Thor had gotten the Hulk's attention, the girl had flown through the trees as fast as she possibly could in a straight line. Now, as she heard the signal, she stopped.
Spinning around, she paused, momentarily levitating in complete silence. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but for her, it stretched on for an eternity. Power built up around her, preparing to launch her through the trees towards her foe.
Silence. Stillness.
A soft wind blew through the trees, gently moving the hair from her eyes. It softly caressed her face with a tender, loving touch.
Just like James.
She shot off like a rocket, her passage marked by a whirlwind of snow and shaken trees. Within seconds, a massive BOOM sounded as she shattered the sound barrier. Wind slammed into her like a physical force as she continued to accelerate through the trees. She pulled her fist into a ready position as she spied a green dot appear in the distance. It grew as she moved yet closer, and her eyes narrowed with concentration. She glimpsed the forms of the two mutants as they clung desperately to their positions, knowing that even the slightest error could ruin everything.
For the first time, the Hulk seemed to notice her approach. Reacting as quickly as possible, he prepped for her attack.
But it was too late.
Her fist slammed into the monster's cheek with stone shattering force, knocking him clear off his feet and into the air. Fighting the throbbing pain in her arm from the impact, Toruun flew forward, catching the still-airborne form of the Hulk by his ankle as the mutants leapt clear. The monster's momentum nearly tore her arm out of her socket, but the girl somehow managed to hold on.
Grimacing in pain, Toruun spun around, tossing the Hulk end over end high into the air. The Asgardian dropped to the ground, crouching deeply. Clasping her hands together, she narrowed her eyes at the slowing form of the Hulk as he prepared to fall back to the earth. Launching off the ground, she propelled herself into the air and flew to meet the descending giant.
They met in midair as her combined hands smashed hard into his chin.
The force of the blow carried gamma beast high over the treetops and into the air, face to the clouds. Through glazed eyes, the green monster saw intense light arching across the clouds, following a dark dot rocketing towards him.
Thor.
Ever since he'd taken to the air he'd been gathering electricity in preparation for the moment he caught sight of the green. The moment Toruun delivered the blow, he came crashing down with all the might of godly strength, godly speed, and good old fashion gravity. Not to mention the augmentation of perhaps the largest lightning bolt to ever thunder across Midgard's skies. And all of that power was transferred into a mighty swing of Mjornir as it slammed hard into the Hulk's face, blasting him back to the earth.
The force sent Toruun slamming into the ground. For a moment, everything went black. Then sunlight pierced her eyelids as it shone through the pines and reflected off the fallen snow. She had no idea how long she'd been out; it could've been hours for all she knew. Movement in the corner of her eye made her turn and see Logan and Laura moving towards her. The sight of them answered her question.
She turned away, but nothing could shut out the hissing of their lightning-charred flesh restoring itself. Instead she turned her attention to the landing site.
A massive crater lay smoking and smoldering in place of dirt and snow. A red ring of heated earth about a foot thick surrounded the edges, with blackened rock and steaming dirt expanding outward for yards in any direction. Any nearby trees were charred and burning, the snow that once covered them but a memory. Overall, a feeling of devastation was prevalent.
Thor touched down as Toruun approached the dimming red earth. Peering over the edge, she stared down the hole towards the shape laying at its zenith. There, amongst the burning earth, was the unconscious form of a ragged old man, wearing nothing but the tattered remains of his pants.
No one said a word as the other three join her to glimpse their foe. Even so, each one knew that a singular simple thought was flowing through all of their minds.
They had won.