This one was hard to title but I hope you guys are enjoying the story. For what it's worth, I kind of like writing it c: Word to Alva Moondancer for supplying me with sweet, sweet encouragement. Go check out her stuff everyone, it's pretty awesome.

The chapter has modest descriptions of gore, be warned.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Marvel's

Chapter Nine - Dark Forevermore

Aaron mouthed a quick prayer and tucked his necklace – a star of David – under his shirt, patting it to ensure it's safety and nearness to him. It was his ritual every time he was sent out for work. He neatly folded his plain gray kippah and pocketed it, replacing it with his flight headset. Amira was next to him, using the co-pilots seat as a crutch as she slipped a pair of fitted black canvas pants over her shorts. She hadn't expected to be called out so soon and most of her gear was at the tower, so she settled for throwing her lightweight tactical vest on over a black Lycra shirt she kept in her bag. Steve marched purposefully between them and addressed Aaron.

"How quickly can you get us there?"

"Winds aren't with us, sir." Aaron replied, all seriousness. The tall blonde man had swiftly swapped out his civvies for his Captain America uniform. He looked more natural in this attire which was fitting. Amira realized being an Avenger meant always having the uniform on.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

"By my calculations – if I push her – we could pull it off in two hours." Aaron winced and shook his head. "And that's a generous estimation." Steve cursed at this and strode down the aisle to inform Tony.

"Cool it, Cap. By the time we get there they will have survivor evac and recovery covered." He was already clad in his Iron Man suit, save for the helmet. The gold and red armor was incredible to behold in person. Amira felt almost foolish for only having a few bits black Kevlar and canvas. She fumbled with the clips on her thigh rig where she kept a knife and various grenades. She hadn't felt this anxious since being newly recruited.

"What about the rogue presence? Have we heard any updates?" Steve asked.

"Nothing new." Natasha confirmed, removing and replacing all of the bullets in each spare magazine she carried to make sure none were imperfect.

"We'll likely be updated on our way. This was probably just an accident." Clint cut in as he inspected his quiver.

"Desert Base is no ordinary military base. It's a treasure trove of government secrets and experimental weaponry. It's safer to assume foul play." Bruce spoke. The only preparation he made for battle was removing his jacket and rolling his sleeves just below his elbows.

Even now, Amira could feel that steady rhythm against her wrist. It was quickened and keener than it was in the storage facility. She was slightly unnerved by the intrusion on his person. Being privy to his weak and anxious moments didn't feel right. If it had been he who could feel her heart rate she would throw a fit. Feeling suddenly insecure, she reminded herself to ask if the effect went both ways. It was a selfish though, she realized. It was her responsibility as his teammate to at least see how he was. With a sigh, she stood and tucked her pants into her boots - the final touch.

From within the quin jet, the engines sounded like a dull purr. They ascended into the air, everyone setting to their own tasks and musings before the mission. In that way, it wasn't very different from what Amira experienced working for Fury. She hesitantly approached Dr. Banner, who had been sitting in the same seat as before. She plopped herself down next to him and crossed her legs at the ankles. Her boots were scuffed and worn but they were reliable still. She swallowed audibly and tried to seem normal. She almost spoke a few times but she couldn't think what she could possibly say to him. Luckily, she wouldn't have to break the silence.

"Does that hurt?" Bruce sympathized looking at her arm. She cocked her head and then followed his gaze to a growing bruise on her bicep.

"Oh, that? That's nothing" She replied, relieved that he had spoken. Bruce looked as if he didn't believe her. "I'm durable." She assured him. He frowned at her for a reason she could not decipher.

"Natasha doesn't do anything in halves."

"No," Amira admitted, "but she is a good teacher. You should have seen me when I was green." Amira colored and scoffed at herself. "N-not that there is anything wrong with being green. Literally or- or otherwise." She stuttered, feeling stupider and stupider with every word. Bruce just looked on in mild amusement while she cradled her face in her palm, embarrassed.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked, her words minced between her fingers, after a moment of internal scolding.

"It's fine. I can usually handle it when people mention the color green." He said. Amira, not yet recovered from her mortification, just blushed further.

"I'm- I- God." She rolled her eyes at her own inability to communicate. "I just wanted to ask how you were doing. Like, going back- Is it going to be weird for you or…?" She couldn't find a way to be discreet. Her job didn't usually involve talking about feelings.

"You don't have to do this." Mercifully, he replied after a fashion. She released the breath she had been holding. It came as an alleviation to Amira. Every other aspect of this job had, so far, been a baptism by fire. At least, she was spared having to play at being a shrink.

It occurred to her after a moment that his heart rate had normalized. Perhaps in making a complete ass of herself, she brought him some relief.

The land had changed drastically as they crossed the country. They had been flown from the lush greenery of the East Coast to the red sparse shrublands of the western United States. A few small rivers snaked across the empty desert and gave succor to the surrounding trees and brush. The sky was just as it was described in Rubaiyat, like a blue upturned bowl covering the earth. There were clumps of rust-colored rock jutting out of the ground that had, with time, wind, and sand, been shaped into great smooth plateaus. The air was wanting of some moisture. Amira could already feel her lips being robbed of it.

Tony had elected to fly out ahead of them and feed intel to them before they arrived so that they could be better prepared. The remainder of the Avenger's on board were becoming more and more unsettled as time wore one without a word from Tony. He might have decided to take on something impulsively but he would have at least let them know before he had done so. They would arrive at the base soon enough to find out what had become of him. Amira tamed her hair into a ruthlessly tight ponytail in preparation for imminent landing. Aaron had announced their arrival and each of them could see the many gray buildings haloed by a tall razor-wire fence. Columns of smoke took root and grew from the left side of it.

"Unless my memory fails me, I believe that is the hospital." Bruce hummed through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowed as he peaked through the window.

"Ensuring that survivors would have nowhere to go." Natasha stated.

"This isn't right. Where the hell is the military aid? I don't see any sign of them." Clint piled in next to Natasha and Bruce by the window.

"And Tony. We haven't received any intelligence from him, or any word that he ever arrived." Bruce sounded unworried, but Amira knew he wasn't thanks to her Halo.

"Tony can handle himself. If the military hasn't arrived yet that means that there are hundreds of wounded without help down there. We need to act fast." Said Steve as he pulled his mask over his head.

"I'm bringing her down near the hangar, there." Aaron reported. "Get ready."

The low wail of the ramp lowering in the back brought everyone out of their concern. Now was the time to focus. Amira steadily walked to the front of the aircraft before exiting the jet.

"Aaron."

"What is it?" He looked at her over his sunglasses.

"Something about this doesn't sit right with me. Stay in the jet and keep your eyes up." She ordered, pulling on a pair of tight protective gloves.

"Yeah. You be careful too." He distractedly replied. The many buttons and switches in the cockpit demanded his attention, apparently.

"Aaron." She sharply insisted. "I mean it."

"Yes! Okay! Go on before they leave you behind." He shooed her away, like a child annoyed by an overzealous parent on the first day of school. She sighed and patted his shoulder before scampering out onto the tarmac behind the others. The Captain stood addressing Clint, Natasha, and Bruce. The shrill sound of jet propulsion signaled the arrival of Iron Man. He landed smoothly, though not without cracking the asphalt beneath his boots.

"You guys are right on time." He said, his tone as flippant as usual. Steve met him, clearly frustrated.

"Where have you been?" He scolded.

"Easy, Cap. When I got within range, my comms went haywire. I couldn't reach you or anyone. This place is like the Thunderdome." Cap stared back blankly. Tony, exasperated, sighed and addressed everyone. "Signals aren't going in or out for at least a twenty mile radius. I know because I had to fly twenty miles out until I could get a hold of the military." Bruce shook his head.

"Then how did we get the distress call from here if no one else could?" He asked Tony. Before he could answer a man came limping towards them. Blood smeared his glasses and caked in his ash white hair. His lab coat was stained with it as well.

"Thank God you've arrived. We didn't think any of our messages were getting out." He cried as he approached. Amira placed his English accent. He looked confused and become panicked. "But aren't there any more of you?" Tony took action.

"The proper authorities have been informed. We are here to help."

"Sir, what can we do?" Steve added.

"There are-" He paused and shakily removed his glasses, "many dead and countless injured. Myself and a few other doctors survived the blasts and are doing what we can but we have so few supplies." He looked more and more hopeless as he spoke. Bruce moved closer to inspect the man. "We must go immediately to the barracks where we have made a makeshift field treatment-"

"Dr. Kiernan?" He murmured, craning his neck forward to peer at the fellow.

"Banner? Bruce Banner? Is that you?" He replied. He was shocked, not pleased to see him.

"I'm surprised you recognize me." He replied, obviously darkly amused by the other man's surprise. "I'm not medical doctor, but I am happy to lend a hand any way that I can." He made a move to head towards the barracks when the little doctor grabbed his arm with an excited yelp.

"You mustn't!" He shrieked. Bruce looked greatly put off at the accosting and sudden shouting. His eyebrows were low and his chin tilted up. Dr. Kiernan moved closer to him. His eyes were watery and dark and full of dread.

"The staff at weapons development," He whispered, his voice quivering, "those that have survived-"

"The weapons development building is un-damaged. We saw it when we landed. There was no explosion there." Bruce took a soothing approach. The man was clearly over stressed from the traumatic situation.

"No. No, there was no explosion." Dr. Kiernan repeated. "It is something much worse, I fear."

"You aren't making any sense." Bruce said.

"A monster, Bruce. A monster lurks down there and you are the only one who could possibly stop him."

"Dr. Kiernan, I-"

"No one is safe as long as that thing is still here." The old man insisted. "You are the only one who can navigate those labyrinthine passages." The hold man was clutching Bruce's arms now. The drying blood from the doctor's hands stained his shirt.

"Here." Steve tossed Bruce an earpiece. "The rest of us are going to recover supplies and survivor's from the wreckage. You're going down there." Bruce shook his head and stepped to the Captain.

"I'm the only one of us who has any sort of experience treating the wounded. Dr. Kiernan is obviously confused. There are people- real people who need our help and you're going to send me after the boogeyman?"

"He corroborated the story we received over radio, Banner. You know better than anyone how many military secrets are stored away down there. Weapons, launch codes, troop movements, you name it. How many more people will get hurt if those secrets wind up in the hands of whoever has planned this attack?" Bruce said nothing. He tightened a fist around the strap of a satchel that he had carried out and nodded. Whether he liked it or not, the Captain had given the order.

"Take my identification." The old doctor ripped the little plastic card from where it had been clipped on the pocket of his lab coat and pressed it into Bruce's palm. "The sequence hasn't changed at all since you, uh- retired. The current pass code is four, seven, two, five, one. You know the rest."

"Thanks." He replied begrudgingly. He slipped the card into his pocket. Steve placed a hand on Dr. Kiernan's shoulder and asked him which way to go. Tony launched himself in the direction of the burning hospital. The Captain beckoned for Clint, Natasha, and Amira.

"Not you." He stopped Amira. "You're going with Dr. Banner. You're our only hope in case things go bad with him." She was concerned at his order but would never let him know that. She also would never argue with someone she felt wholly to be her superior officer. So, she did what a proper soldier ought to do.

"Sir." She responded with a salute and a click of her heels. Steve gave her a curt nod and with that she followed after Bruce.

He had put a surprising amount of space in between himself and the rest of the Avengers. His long legs transported him quickly; walking, he far outpaced Amira. She had to practically trot to keep up.

"I have no idea what to expect, so keep your eyes peeled." He said as they headed toward the looming weapons development building. Amira looked back and could see Tony darting about the sky, surveying the wreckage of the medical building for entrapped workers.

"We're going to get this done quickly so we can get back up here to help the injured." He finished. Amira nodded. She could feel her ponytail swinging behind her as she tried to keep pace with Bruce. They arrived at the doors and Amira opened one, allowing Bruce to enter. He muttered a 'thank you' and she followed him inside.

There were papers strewn about and desks upturned as they passed reception. The building was aged and the interior matched it. The bullpen they navigated was dark and destroyed and there was not a soul to tell them what had happened. Bruce lead them to a steel door at the end of a hallway that required the doctor's identification for access. The hallways, as with the rest of the building, were completely dark save for the light that escaped in through small windows that perched themselves high on the walls. They could clearly see the upset dust lingering in the shafts of daylight as they passed through them.

Bruce pulled out the key card while Amira examined the completely dark corridor to their right. A light flickered every now and again at the very end of it. Amira was trying to make out the space with every illumination. Bruce slid the keycard once, twice, three times and cursed.

"These damn things still barely work." He grumbled. Amira's eyes widened at what she had realized sat at the end of the hallway. She tugged lightly at the sleeve of Bruce's shirt. He looked down at her, irked at the interruption. She, never meeting his eyes, pointed slowly at the end of the hall. There, under the flickering light, he turned to see a man. Well, it might have once been a man but the remains were crushed and twisted now. The corpse was slumped up against the wall at the end of the hallway. They could see beneath the fleeting light how the gore marred the linoleum floor. The body looked as if it had been broken and thrown a great distance.

"Christ." Bruce choked; he stood struck, as if he couldn't tear his eyes away. Her bracelet was nagging at her now. Amira paced around him to make a barrier of herself, blocking his view of the grisly sight. She swallowed hard and looked up at him.

"Let's try again." He peered down at her. "The door." She clarified carefully. Bruce gave her a hard look and then nodded. He glanced down the nightmarish hallway once more and then set to the task of opening the door. The click of the lock rang out and both Amira and Bruce sighed with relief.

He pushed the door open. What little light filled the room they were in now completely died out in the stairway he had lead them to. It was black. Amira searched for the little mag light she kept in her vest. Once she found it, she used it to illuminate the stairs.

"We follow it to the bottom. The subterranean level is about two floors deep." Bruce whispered. Amira carefully made her way down the steps with Bruce in tow. She switched the mag light into her left hand and pulled the gun out of her thigh rig. She utilized the Harries flashlight hold, resting her gun wielding hand over the one that held her flashlight. Usually, she wouldn't ever brandish a gun. She was an awful shot. Besides, she never needed to with her abilities, especially in the dark. But she was with Bruce and, for the time being, he was unable to protect himself. She would look after him.

"Through this door is the lab. Whoever killed that guy upstairs is likely to be down here somewhere." Bruce said, his voice wavering. Amira put a finger to her lips. Bruce nodded. She holstered her weapon and extinguished her flashlight. As quietly as she was able, she slipped through the doors and onto the lab floor, leaving him behind. Low emergency lights gleamed red, lighting up the floors and doorways. It was just as the offices had been. Absolutely destroyed. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she listened for any trace of noise. It was as silent as death save for a small static disruption that she attempted to trace. She crept up to the sound and felt secure enough to switch on her flashlight again.

"What happened to you?" She murmured to the poor man that lay, bent over a desk as if he had been carelessly tossed there. She flipped him over to check his vitals. Upon seeing the contorted state of his neck her question was answered. The dead man seemed to be some sort of security; his clothes suggested as much. Amira reached over to his radio and switched it off, silencing the static. She shined her flashlight on the room around her. Fourteen or more bodies lay dead around the room, each of them as gruesomely treated as the last.

"It was a killing floor." Amira said to herself. Now that she had seen the bloodshed she identified the tang of it in the air.

It was a smell she had experienced many times. It was a smell she could never forget.

Most of them were scientists. Unarmed innocents. She was not shaken by the scene now, but it would surely contribute to her nightmares. Satisfied, she headed back to the door.

"All clear." She said to Bruce in hushed tones. He made a move to step out into the lab and she stopped him. "Bruce."

"What?" He replied. She could feel her cuff nagging at her.

"It's not good in there."

"Oh."

"You don't have to do this."

"What choice do I have?" He said as he stepped around her. She followed him into the dark but he couldn't see through the black curtain. "The light?" He asked. Hesitantly, Amira handed him her flashlight which he clicked on. He caught a glimpse of a young woman crumpled in the corner and swayed on his feet.

"Bruce-"

"I might be sick." He groaned. If the bodies hadn't been so mutilated he may not have been so affected. Bruce was seeing his old office in ruin and people – much like the ones he worked with when he was young – murdered. Maybe the Hulk didn't mind seeing blood and bone in such a manner but Bruce Banner did. Amira took the flashlight and grabbed the sides of his arms.

"Hey, hey, hey." She said rapidly. "Look at me." She couldn't tell if he was or not. It was far too dark. The point was to get his mind off of what he had seen. "We just go on through in to the next room, right?" She asked, trying to sound confident. His breathing was slow and shaking and it was the only noise she could hear.

"Yes. That, uh- that hallway will lead us past some offices. We'll take a right and then a left. That should be the entrance to the war room."

"War room?"

"Command center, sorry. General Ross called it the war room. It was fitting, since he approached every aspect of his life as if it were a war." He had a touch of his usual snarkiness back. Relieved, she started moving slowly towards the end of the lab floor. She presumed the rest of the way to the command center would be just as bad.

"It's dark." He said.

"Here." She twisted around to grab his right hand and place it on her right shoulder. "Follow closely. Eyes forward." She ordered. She was sure footed and her night vision was decent. She could lead them to the enclave.

The moved at a dreadfully slow pace and corridors twisted and turned in a way that made her feel disoriented. Bruce had oversimplified the directions, to say the least. Usually, she could see the dead before he could, their silhouettes highlighted by the red foot lights. The few times when they had to sidestep around a fallen MP she could feel Bruce's grip like a vice on her shoulder. She hummed to herself as they moved through the darkness.

"Why are you humming Sinatra?" He spoke. The even shuffling of his footsteps maintaining their sureness.

"Sinatra? The only version of Beyond the Sea is Bobby Darin's." She replied mirthfully.

"Amira." He replied, his tone a warning. She sighed. How unfair it was that he got to be brooding and perplexing all the time and she wasn't even allowed a joke.

"It's better than listening to my own thoughts right now." She admitted softly. She disliked blindly stumbling through the house of horrors as much as he.

"I see." He said, contritely.

"Good God, what is that smell?" She said suddenly, raising the back of her wrist to cover her nose. The air had been dampened with a pungent sour stench like a mire of milk languishing in the summer sun.

"Wow. That is- I can taste it." Bruce's reply was muffled by his own hand covering his face.

"Oh, why'd you say that? Now I can taste it." Amira complained. "I think we're at the command center now and I think it's the source of the smell." It reeked, truly.

"And whoever got here before us took care of the security door. We won't need Dr. Kiernan's card now." He said as he pushed the card into his shirt pocket. In the dark she could make out the massive hole that had been blown open where the door was. "That door was twelve inches of steel. Blast proof." Bruce marveled along with her.

"Something blasted through it." Amira remarked. She pulled her flashlight out again and shined it on the gnarled edges.

"The only thing left is the pass coded door. You'll need to remove any weapons that you have. There is a very sophisticated metal detector. It will sense them and trigger an alarm." Bruce said, moving over to the key panel. She rolled her eyes and removed her vest and pistol. As soon as that was done she placed them in the hallway, where they wouldn't trip any sensors. She pointed her flashlight over to the next gigantic steel door. This one hadn't been forced, oddly. A dead man lay face down by it's side. Bruce saw this. Amira made a move to help him but he stopped her.

"It's okay. I'm fine now, I think. Whoever did this probably made him enter the code before killing him." He took a deep breath and set to his task. Amira watched him intently, monitoring her Halo cuff. Bruce faltered trying to enter the pass key. "I can't remember the damn number." He growled.

"Four, seven, two, five, one." Amira rattled off without thinking.

"Sorry?" Bruce said.

"Four. Seven. Two. Five. One." She repeated slowly.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Because if we get it wrong it'll trip a very loud alarm."

"What doesn't trip an alarm around here?" She muttered bitterly. "Yes, I am sure." She insisted.

He slowly punched in the code. The leviathan door's locking mechanism slid out of place, creating a loud echoing sound. The odor began to seep into the room and choked them both. As the door slowly creaked open they could both hear a grim and malicious chuckling dripping out from behind it. The command center was well lit with the majority of the auxiliary power being directed towards it. Beneath the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights they could both see the horrid green amalgamation of man and nightmare that towered before them.

"Emil." Bruce breathed and as soon as he spoke, it roared with sickening fearsomeness. Amira looked to Bruce who did not take his eyes off of the monster prowling in between the desks and monitors.

"Take this." He removed his satchel and handed it to her. She cocked her head but took it from him. It must have been full of explosives or something fun like that- something she could use against this creature.

"Bruce." She snapped. "Is this your dry cleaning?" The contents of the satchel were disappointing to say the least. It was just clothing.

"Just keep track of it for me. It's important." Amira scoffed and wore the satchel, despite finding it to be very stupid.

"Talking to yourself, Dr. Banner? One might think you're starting to slip." The monster sneered. It spoke, much to Amira's surprise. Though, as she thought on it, surely if it could laugh it could speak. It seemed that it couldn't see her; it wasn't immune to her abilities, thankfully.

"It's been a long time." Bruce called back at the monster, who was stalking around him like some predatory thing. It had the vague shape of a man with pointed, webbed protrusions where it's ears might have been. It's smile looked like it had been carved out with a razor. Ear to ear, it stretched across his cheeks and it was crowded with sharp yellowing teeth. The eyes were it's worst feature. They were clouded white and cruel, set beneath a ribbed, massive brow. It was muscled and heavy set – a warty, scaly, stinking juggernaut.

"Yes, it has hasn't it. And how beautifully poetic is it that we should meet here?" It replied venomously. Amira crept around it. Bruce seemed unconcerned. He wore that mysterious smile once more.

"The irony wasn't lost on me, Emil." The creature snarled at the use of that name and scraped it's long pointed claws along the metal panels on the wall.

"Oh, Dr. Banner, you impress me with your pleasantries but I find myself tiring of this small talk." The monster was now looking down at Bruce, close enough to swipe.

"You killed a lot of people back there." Bruce said as he unbuttoned his shirt and carefully removed it. Amira recoiled at the absurdity. Surely, he wasn't going to try and seduce the monster.

"Think of how many people I saved, Bruce. Those scientists- Those unethical monsters, care nothing for how many lives they take when their weapons strike hospitals and schools."

"Emil-"

"Do you think they care when they kill children, Dr. Banner? Innocent children. They will never care. Not as long as they don't have to witness as the life leaves their eyes as I have. My Master has shown me much. I see everything for what it is now." It bellowed. Amira crouched behind a desk and listened to it's soliloquy.

"Emil, that doesn't excuse-"

"No!" It screamed, throwing it's arms out in a frenzy. It was breathing heavily now and peering down at Bruce. "You will not call me by that name. You will call me what I am. What your kind made me; I am an Abomination!" It tossed it's head back, roaring once more. Then it charged at Bruce.

Amira covered her mouth to stifle a cry. She watched as Bruce surrendered to his own monster. The one that lived within him. Amira's Halo cuff stung her and shrillly alarmed until she whacked the read out with her hand. Luckily, the monster had not noticed the sound, he was too busy squaring off with the Hulk. His flesh, newly green, stretched over his impossibly large muscles as he grew in height and strength. Amira realized why he had removed his shirt and packed a fresh set of clothing with him. His pants were shredded and barely holding onto his body. He still looked like the Bruce that she knew, in a small way. Though it made her feel guilty, she was glad to be far away from him in this state.

The two of them were locked in combat, pushing one another to see who would give first. The Abomination howled in the Hulk's face and tossed him into a large glass partition sending a million crystalline pieces clinking to the ground. The Hulk quickly recovered and lunged once more at his foe, earning himself a blow to the jaw as the quick creature side stepped him and countered. Amira winced at the hit. She couldn't possibly intervene at this point. One misstep and she'd be applesauce beneath their feet. She remembered the earpiece Bruce had. In their hurry they had forgotten to inform Steve of their findings. Amira swept through his satchel but the little machine was nowhere to be found. She indulged herself by burying her face in his clean clothes for a moment, however, as the smell of freshly laundered shirts was a welcome reprieve from the stench marinating the room.

"That's it, you imbecile. En garde!" The Abomination taunted the Hulk as he failed, once again, to land a hit.

"C'mon, Bruce." Amira quietly prayed from her hiding spot.

The Abomination was larger than him by many feet. The Hulk sneaked in a good blow here and there, but it was the Abomination that was dominating the fight. Amira, fed up with seeing her team mate taking a thrashing, reached for a chunk of cement rubble lying near her. She grabbed it and, sprinting closer to the two clashing titans, chucked it as hard as she could at the Abomination's head. She watched it soar through the air as she prayed her years as a pitcher in pickup baseball games during her adolescence would pay off. It didn't meet it's mark by even a long shot but the result was far better than she expected. It hurdled into a light fixture above the monster's head and shattered it, sending sparks and glass showering down upon it's head. The brief distraction gave the Hulk a window to strike. And strike, he did. He tackled the Abomination to the ground and delivered the maximum payload. A half dozen brutal blows drove the monster's head into the floor.

Her little diversion gave her the opportunity to sprint over to the spot where Bruce had changed. She got down on her hands and knees and swept her palms over the rubble covered floor, searching for the earpiece. She heard the Abomination thunderously bellow, apparently angered at being so thoroughly mauled. Looking up, she saw the larger beast bring a fist down on the top of the Hulk's head. Amira was panicking, switching in between watching the tide of the fight turn and looking for the device.

When she finally found it the Abomination had ruthlessly headbutted the Hulk and sent him reeling into a server array. Dizzied, the Hulk struggled to regain his bearings. Emil would grant him no mercy. The odorous beast picked up the Hulk and hoisted him over his head. With a final bestial shriek he threw him down onto some jagged rubble that had been created in the fight. The Hulk looked broken and beaten, contorted as he was on the cement. The monster looked quite pleased with himself. He grabbed the Hulk by one of his large feet and swung him around like an Olympic hammer thrower. He let him go, sending his body flying over Amira's head – almost lopping it off. He crashed into the massive steal door. Amira, clutching the earpiece, dove out of the way of falling debris. She looked back and the Hulk was out cold. The door was now blocked by several large chunks of metal and cement that Amira could never hope to move.

She was trapped in this room with the monster and if she didn't get help soon, Bruce may be in serious trouble. Luckily, she was unhurt. She sought safety underneath a desk and popped the little device into her ear.

"This is Amira Mizrahi, does anyone read me?" She tried her best to be quiet. The monster was still lurking. "Tony, Clint? Do you read me?" She repeated into the device. The only thing she heard back was static. She pounded her fists into her own thighs with frustration. It had either broken or the signal was blocked by whatever was interfering with everything else. Either way, she was running out of options. She peaked out from under her desk and saw that the Abomination had hefted a massive piece of cement over his head and was preparing to deliver a death blow to the Hulk. She rolled her eyes and swore. She was still cloaked. With her abilities and a little bit of cleverness, she could buy them both some time.

"Hey ugly!" She shouted from her desk. As soon as the words left her mouth she scrambled out from under it and sprinted around the perimeter of the large command center, over desks and destroyed computers. The monster growled.

"What's this? A little mouse in my pantry? I cannot abide it!" He punctuated the last word by dropping his rock on the ground. Amira felt the earth tremble beneath her with the force of it. He headed off in the direction of where she had been last. He made his path by carelessly throwing and crushing whatever stood in before him. Amira was gripped with a terror she could not quiet. To be pursued by such a violent, relentless creature was unlike anything she had ever known. She buried her mouth in the crook of her arm, that he might not even hear her breathe.

"So," He cooed, "it is a clever mouse." His malignant laughter made her quake. He stomped away from her prior location and towards her now; she could not will her legs to carry her. She sat, knees to her chest and hand over her mouth, just against another overturned desk as the monster loomed behind her. She heard it inhale deeply as it approached and she saw it's shadow grow on the wall.

"I can smell your fear." He said, trying to sound sickeningly sweet. It was something horrible when a voice like that - a voice that sounds like a saw taken to bone - was sung so closely into one's ear. She saw his shadow raise a fist. With a small yelp she rolled out of the way as he brought it down onto her former hiding place, smashing it to pieces. "Ah, there's the wretched thing." He remarked, as if bored. She was too distracted to keep her abilities working consistently. As soon as she shakily stood he swatted at her, sending her flying across the room into the pile of glass from the broken partition. He could have ended her with a single twitch of his finger but he was the type to draw it out. It was much like a cat might play with it's food.

When she realized what had happened she still felt as if she couldn't get a proper breath and she struggled to lift herself out of the glass. It was embedded in her hands and knees and dug it's way into her side. She cried out under the strain of her efforts but just as Bruce had failed to get up, so did she fail.

"There, there." The monster sang. He picked her up like a little doll in his hand. He looked sorrowfully at her for a moment as he cradled her in one palm. Amira protested in his grasp but he held her steadfastly "It will all be over soon. Any last words?" He asked.

"The black- The black-" She stuttered, coughing and making small utterances of pain.

"What's that, my dear?" He held her closer to his ear.

"The black lagoon called, they want their c-creature back." She spat. The monster threw his head back and his body shook with laughter.

"It wouldn't have been my first choice to make my legacy a mediocre one-liner. But hey, it's your funeral." The Abomination mocked her but she could not care less.

"I thought," She panted, "it was pretty good." At that, she let her body fall limp and submitted herself to her fate. The cold blooded hand slowly closed around her. She laughed at herself inwardly. She always assumed she'd be shot or blown up like most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Being crushed to death in the fist of an overgrown, freakish Bond villain was pretty spectacular in comparison.

As the pressure started to become truly painful, her captor was startled by a sudden blast. The moment it happened she slipped from the Abomination's grasp and fell slackly to the ground like a sack of sand. She couldn't make out much, but the monster had turned away from her and was now screaming at the entrance to the command center. She bit her lip hard. The pain thrilled her body, filling her limbs with the verve to move. Somehow, she had another shot at life and she was not going to lay there and waste it. Very precariously, she stood. She could see the Hulk laying off to the side of the entrance. He could not have been responsible for the blast, incapacitated as he was. She could not see the one to blame but she did hear him speak.

"Foul creature, I would have words with thee."

Ta da! I was pretty proud of this one! Dr. Banner didn't like seeing so many awful things, poor guy.

I'm trying to go for a tragic Frankenstein's monster style portrayal of the Abomination. He's not as gentle as Frankenstein's monster but he is eloquent and educated. I hope you guys think it's groovy.

Shout out to my Lola who would be pretty stoked that I referenced Rubaiyat.

This entire chapter brought to you by Carpenter Brut - Trilogy. I listened to the album on repeat while I wrote and it kept me from throwing myself down a well.