Chapter 3: Assemble, Part 3
*SHIELD Helicarrier UNS Odyssey, 1800ft above sea level, Atlantic Ocean; en route to New York City.*
13:20 UTC May 4, 2012
A 5'7" woman in SHIELD uniform walked up to the Director. She was fairly attractive, especially since she could make the tomboy look work on her. Her short brunette hair seemed to fit style her, and her uniform did a nice job on capturing her figure in a teasing manner, leaving just enough for the imagination. She held an aura of confidence and authority, but she also knew her place in this system, and despite her occasional questioning, she was content with what she did, and she knew where she belonged. Her fiery attitude helped in her alpha no-nonsense personality, and that somehow made her all the more appealing. Rumor all across the Helicarrier was that she and Agent Phil Coulson, the other second in command, were a thing. She was armed with two Eagle Desert handguns-one on her leg holster and the other on her body holster.
"Sir," she said. "We've lost contact with the Warriors on scene."
The Director was a tall African American man in his late forties, but he still had a very able figure and body. He was completely bald, and his face showed evidence of the toll and demand that being in this field of work took one someone. His left eye was testament to that...or rather, his left eye socket, which was hidden from the world by an eye patch. He wore an all-black outfit, complete with a leather bulletproof trench coat. He also had two Eagle Desert handguns, both on his belt holsters. He had the aura of a leader, as was fit for him due to who and what he was.
Nick Fury, Director of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, better known as SHIELD.
"You're kidding," Fury replied, hoping she was.
"No sir," SHIELD Deputy Director Maria Hill replied. "Not only that, we've lost contact with Coulson, and our sensors from the Raft have just shortened out. 42 is trying to establish contact while taking their prisoners for temp housing-"
"How long ago?"
"About 15 minutes, sir."
"Dammit," Fury muttered. Looking up from his Director's Stand, he took in the rest of the SHIELD Helicarrier command-&-control center. Left and right, agents were moving front & center as they kept the giant vessel afloat and collected data on everything that was going on in the world-particularly the invasion currently happening in Manhattan. "What's our current speed?" he asked Hill as he began walking towards the four pilot coordinators near the front of the C&C center, Hill coming behind him.
"We're going at our top speed, sir, but even with that, we're still more than an hour out," Hill responded.
"A lot can happen in that time…" Fury muttered. "Dammit, I'm going to hear about and regret this...Fury to all Helicarrier personnel," he said into his comm. "Prepare for emergency ARC-speed travel. Helicarrier engine room personnel, activate emergency ARC reactors." He looked to Hill, who looked like she wanted to say something. "Don't even," he stated before heading off to the large window panels near the front.
Hill simply smirked before following. It was an interesting job, being Fury's right hand.
*Wakandan Embassy, Lower East Side, Manhattan*
15:21 EST May 4, 2012
Wakandan weaponry was much better than that of modern American soldiers and police. Their firearms held more caliber, more firepower and more stealth. Even their spears, which looked like primitive objects, were much more advanced. Yes, Wakandan weapons were much better…and they packed quite the punch. Something that was being demonstrated quite heavily in the war torn and chaos-ridden streets of Manhattan close to the Wakandan Embassy.
The Jotun roared in agony as another vibranium spear impaled itself into the creature's remaining eye, forcing it to drop the ice club in its hand. With it distracted, the embassy guards quickly headed for the family of five the Jotun had almost slaughtered, while the Royal Wakandan guards rapidly fired in succession at the Frost Giant, the vibranium shells and energy blasts too much for its body as it roared its last and collapsed onto the street with a loud thud, joining the slew of Jotun bodies already on the ground. This had been the scene around the Wakandan Embassy for the last 40 minutes now. By orders of the King, the Wakandan guards were helping to bring in any nearby civilians into the embassy, where they would be safe from harm. If any of the creatures tried to attack the embassy, they would find it near impenetrable-the thick marble walls were coated with thin layers of vibranium, which was still more than enough to absorb almost any hits that came their way. The creatures would realize this too late as they would then be mowed down by gunfire or javelins.
"They continue to come, captain!" one of the guards yelled as he began firing his machine gun at an approaching group of Jotun. Despite their best efforts, the guards soon saw that this was a losing battle. From what they had heard from the staff inside and from the King's elder, this was occurring all across Manhattan, and if that were the case, then there was no way they could possibly hold off for such a long amount of time against such numbers.
The Jotun then attacked again, apparently trying to use numbers to their advantage. The guards suddenly noticed a young teenage girl coming out of the ruins of a nearby restaurant. "Oh that is not good," the guard captain muttered. Some of the Jotun saw the girl and immediately broke off to get to her. Screaming, she ran towards the embassy, and a few guards ran off in her direction to get to her first before the Jotun. It didn't seem like they'd make it in time however.
At that moment, a figure in black raced past the guards at the gates of the embassy, heading right to the Jotun. In a wave of his arms, a flurry of vibranium daggers flew at the creatures, causing massive roars of pain from the creatures. But the figure didn't stop there. With superb uncanny agility, he dashed up to the Jotun and jumped up with reflexes and strength no regular human could have. Unleashing vibranium claws from his gloves, he slashed at their faces, causing massive and deep wounds, spitting blue blood from their faces. Jumping back away from them, he turned to the guards, and yelled, "FIRE NOW!" The guards did just that, shooting mercilessly at the now crippled Jotun and bringing death to them, while the man in black picked up the teenage girl and dashed back to the embassy, where he handed her over to the safety of the guards.
The man then turned at walked to where the guards were aiming at the rest of the creatures. He was completely covered in black attire, a fabric-vibranium laced costume that was considered royal clothing in Wakanda. His claws glistened and dripped in Jotun blood, and there was no skin visible. His mask covered his whole face, and it was fashioned after the moniker of a jungle cat. A black cape billowed behind him, and his aura was that of a king, a ruler and a warrior…a protector.
King T'Challa of Wakanda, also known as the Black Panther.
"Your Majesty," one of the guards began to say. "I do not think it is wise for you to-"
"I will do my part in protecting my people and the people of this city, child," Panther replied, taking out more daggers and getting into a battle stance. The guards knew they couldn't change the mind of their king once it was made up. They joined him in a battle stance, the Jotun Frost Giants charging at them-
And they were taken aback when pink energy spheres came from their right, barraging the creatures. This immediately caused roars of pain from the Frost Giants as the spheres spawned fire and other chaotic effects on their bodies. The Black Panther turned to see a woman in deep scarlet-red clothing firing spheres of energy from her hands, and a man in a blue and silver outfit standing next to her. T'Challa recognized these two individuals; they had tried to invade his kingdom a few years ago when they were still under the influence of their father. The woman stopped her attack, and in a few seconds, the man that had been next to her made quick work of them as he went at supersonic speeds and punched them into oblivion, thus ending the Jotun threat in this area temporarily. Those portals would no doubt start spewing more soon enough.
The two arrivals walked towards the embassy, and the guards immediately aimed their weapons at them, lowering them only when T'Challa raised his hand, signaling they stand down. He then walked over to the twins.
"Scarlet Witch. Quicksilver."
"Black Panther," Quicksilver said bluntly.
"It's good to see you again, Your Highness," Scarlet Witch replied with a smile. "And please excuse Pietro's attitude."
"I think it's justifiable at the moment, Wanda, seeing that we apparently are at war."
"This is happening all across Manhattan," Panther said. "A shaman of my council said dark magics are being trifled with."
"He is correct," Wanda replied. "I can sense dark magic and arcane arts at work...these portals reek of such power. I tried closing them but to no avail. I am afraid we will have to go right to the source of this magic and snip it right there. Luckily, it isn't that far."
"Where is it?" T'Challa asked.
"I sense it coming from Times Square," Wanda replied. The Black Panther wasted no time in making his next decision.
"Guards, ensure that no harm comes to those within the embassy. Protect these people as if they were Wakandans. We may have a chance of coming out of this yet!"
"What shall you do, my King?" the guard captain asked.
"I am joining these two in ending this invasion and this war."
*The Raft*
15:21 EST May 4, 2012 AD
"This is not good…" was all Ross could say.
"On the plus side, he isn't focused on us," Coulson remarked.
Betty, meanwhile, was torn between feeling relieved, terrified and speechless. The creature that was just about to kill her had turned its attention to Bruce, the man she loved with all her heart, and who she would never abandon no matter what her father tried to do...only it wasn't Bruce. In his place, the raging creature known across the world as the Incredible Hulk stood, and Hulk was now snarling, his eyes on the Jotun standing above Betty. Betty wasn't afraid that Hulk would hurt her; being that Bruce and the Hulk were one, she knew he cared for her. It was what would happen afterwards that was scaring her.
"HULK SMASH GIANT BLUE MAN!" the titan roared, and with a jump, the Hulk rammed himself right into the Jotun. It made to swing its ice sword at him, only to be viciously slammed into the prison walls and savagely punched in the face by Hulk. The titan landed blow after staggering blow, bringing the Jotun closer and closer to his demise. With a bloody and broken face, the Jotun nevertheless fought back.
Unfortunately, despite being very strong, its strength levels were nowhere near that of the Hulk's strength. It did have numbers on its side, though. As the Hulk made to deliver the final blow, the other two Jotun tackled him, sending him crashing into one of the prison walls. Despite their durability meant to withstand the likes of the Rhino, Ironclad & Mister Hyde, Hulk's impact left a sizeable dent in the concrete/titanium fusion material. The Jotun began bashing the Hulk with their ice clubs and axes, enticing roars not of pain and hurt, but of even greater rage and fury. A massive green hand grabbed one of the weapons and crushed it in its palm, surprising its wielder enough for the Hulk to land a devastating haymaker on its face, sending it sprawling onto the ground, a crushed jaw and nose on its face. It didn't move at all upon impact, which the other two Jotun also noticed. With roars, they attacked the Hulk with a frenzy. This proved to be their final fatal mistake. With vicious punches, smashed and roars, the Hulk made quick work of the creatures, crippling them and making them bleed badly. In agony, they collapsed onto the ground, too injured to do anything else besides lay on the floor as they tried to keep their blood inside their bodies.
Hulk had defeated the three Frost Giants, and now everyone present was utterly terrified for their lives. With no distractions, what was the Hulk going to do now? The titan was breathing heavily, kneeling on the ground with one fist on the ground.
"All Hulkbusters," General Ross began to say. "Open-!"
"No!" Betty yelled as she got up. "Don't even think about it, Dad!"
"Betty, the Hulk is about to kill us!" Ross yelled.
"No…he isn't," Betty replied. She then began walking towards the Hulk.
"Betty-!" Ross yelled, only to be grabbed by Coulson.
"She knows what she's doing, so trust her, Ross!"
"Hulk…Bruce…" Betty said softly as she approached the Hulk. The "monster" slowly raised his face to look at the woman. Despite his seemingly fierce and angry expression, Betty knew different. Experience had taught her that. "It's ok...they're beaten. They didn't hurt me, see?" The Hulk simply stared at her silently, and Betty took this as incentive to continue. "You won't hurt us, right? You were just trying to protect us...protect me. I know you won't hurt us."
"Hulk not going to guarantee on Ross," Hulk replied with a low rumbling voice, referring to her father. Betty knew that he wouldn't hurt him though, unless provoked. "But you're right...Hulk was just trying to protect the humans."
"I know…and thank you, Hulk...Bruce," Betty smiled.
This was enough to satisfy Coulson. And at that moment, dozens of SHIELD agents burst in through the transport dock gates. "At ease, agents," Coulson said, motioning for them to stop. "Situation is under control."
"No it is not," Ross snarled. "The Raft is destroyed, Manhattan is under attack, and you're just going to stand there and let the Hulk loose?! I should-!"
"Agents, make sure that General Ross and the Hulkbusters don't do anything stupid," Coulson said, ignoring the general; as the agents surrounded the US troops, Coulson came up to the squad leader. "What's the word, Agent?"
"The Raft lost contact with the Helicarrier," she replied. "We're trying to get that fixed up. Most of the prisoners are now in the temp cells on 42, and those that weren't transferred are still under our troops' control. Nothing else major except for what's happened here, but there is the issue of the invasion that's happening in New York right now."
"Yes, that is a problem," Coulson remarked as he fiddled with his busted comm. "I can't contact Director Fury or the Helicarrier, either."
Betty, meanwhile, ignored everyone as she watched the Hulk walk over to the gaping hole where the Frost Giants had crashed through, through the dock gates. From his vantage point, Hulk could see the pillars of smoke of the destruction occurring in Manhattan, as well as the green essence that seemed to envelop the city. Betty walked up next to him, looking where he was. She wondered what was going through his mind. Hulk stared off into the distance, his focus kept on Manhattan. It wasn't long before a familiar voice came from the back of his mind.
"You could help them." In their mind's landscape, Hulk turned to see Bruce Banner standing before him.
"What do you mean, Banner?" Hulk muttered.
"You could make a difference...show them that you aren't the monster they think you are. You could go out there and help save them. They'll see your intentions. They'll see that you're actually helping to protect them, not hurt them."
"Or they'll see the Hulk fighting and think I'm attacking them, too," Hulk sighed as he sat down on the barren ground. "It doesn't matter what I do...they'll always believe it, and they're right. I am a monster."
"Only if you let it be true," Bruce replied as he sat down next to Hulk. "It'll always truly be up to you to show them that the Hulk can be a force for good. Betty believes it...Coulson believes it. Hell, even Nick Fury thinks it could maybe work, and he tried to hunt us down too, at one point." Hulk remained silent, staring off in the distance of their shared mindscape. "I hate being hunted, just as much as you do...but on the plus side, we've gotten to see the world."
"Yeah, there's a bright side," Hulk muttered.
"How about this?" Bruce said. "If you do this, we can stay as Hulk. I'll simply act as a conscious, and come out only when you want us to revert back to Banner."
Hulk turned to stare in wonder at Bruce. "You'd...you'd do that?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because we're in this together. What do you say? Agree?"
Hulk was silent for a moment, and then nodded his head. "But maybe we don't always have to stay as Hulk."
Back in reality, Betty made to reach out her hand to Hulk, and gasped in surprise when Hulk turned to her. "Betty," he said as he crouched down to level himself with her. "Hulk...I need to go out there."
Betty was silent for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Then go. I'll find you after."
Hulk nodded. Then, standing up, he prepared his leg muscles and then with an echoing boom, he jumped away, heading straight for Manhattan. This immediately brought Coulson and Ross over to where Betty was standing. "Where the hell is he going?!" Ross yelled angrily, furious at his daughter. Coulson simply looked off to where Hulk was going.
"He's going to try and save New York," Betty whispered in response.
*Somewhere in northern Midtown East*
15:25 EST May 4, 2012 AD
CRASH! FRABOOM!
'Shields are now at 73% strength.'
"Yeah, I can see that, JARVIS," Stark muttered as he flew out of the hole he had made in the side of the tower he had just been thrown into, heading straight for the Jotun that had surprised him. His repulsors immediately fired, attacking as machine guns would, rapidly landing blow after blow on the creatures. As they recoiled from the powerful impacts, Iron Man then landed a powerful metallic haymaker on one of them. "Any luck on figuring out what these things are?!"
'I have still not been able to identify what they are, sir. Their biological readings are unlike anything on Earth, man-made or otherwise. Further analysis, however, suggests that the portals from which these invaders are coming from are gateways to another dimension.'
"Gee, that helps," Stark retorted sarcastically as he fired his uni-beam at a group of Frost Giants trying to flank his rear.
'You are being outnumbered, sir.'
"I know…!"
'And you are also allowing your left flank to be exposed.'
POW!
"AAAHHH!"
'I did mention-'
"YES I KNOW, JARVIS!" Stark yelled as he got up from the small crater in the street that his impact had created. He quickly saw that he was surrounded on all sides. His armor's scanners showed that there were at least 20. The armor stats also showed that while his repulsors and mini warheads were still ready to use, his uni-beam wasn't going to be charged up again for another minute. He doubted he would have enough time. "What's our status on rapid deployment shoulder mini-missiles?"
'Our current supply is almost drained; the armor only has about 10 remaining. I recommend saving those for when you need them, sir."
"I think I need them now!" Stark replied, his repulsors firing up as he prepared to fly up again. Before he could do anything, however, a giant 15ft tall man in a black & yellow costume with yellow gauntlets suddenly came out of nowhere and bum rushed two of the Jotun. Sending them crashing into the ground. Before the other Frost Giants has a chance to react, he lashed out a leg and collided it with another's stomach.
"Hey, Stark," Yellowjacket yelled out as he began engaging the Jotun.
Stark simply stared on for a few seconds. "Or...Hank can just come in and save my ass...that works too."
'Indeed it does, sir.'
"I am so glad I didn't program you with actual emotions," Stark mumbled as he flew up and fired his repulsors, joining in with Pym against the creatures. "So, Hank, where's Jan?"
"Right here!" Wasp yelled out as her seven inch form flew past him, firing deadly barrages of bio-sting blasts at the Frost Giants. "And I'm having the time of my life here!"
"Should I be freaked out?" Stark asked.
"Maybe a bit," Pym replied.
The trio continued to make quick work of the invaders. Wasp relentlessly fired her stinger blasts, blinding the Jotun, while Yellowjacket and Stark pummeled their way through the hordes of invaders, felling them three at a time. Roars echoed and ice weapons shattered as the three heroes continued their unified assault. Soon, only the three of them were standing amongst a sea of Jotun bodies and unconscious forms.
"Well, that takes care of that," Jan said with a smirk as she returned to normal size.
"It's not over yet, Jan," Stark replied. "There are thousands upon thousands of these things all over Manhattan, and they're going vicious on us. The police are doing the best they can, but they're being swamped." He paused to fire a repulsor blast at a stirring Jotun. "The US military won't be here for another 40 minutes, the SHIELD Helicarrier is pretty much in the same situation...but JARVIS did find out that some SHIELD agents arrived in the city to fight these things."
"Yeah, we know," Hank replied.
"...You do?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Some ants told me."
"...ants told you."
"Yeah, they said they're all in Times Square."
"Ants told you that?"
"Yes, Stark."
Tony turned to Jan. "Remind me again why you're with him…"
*The Brooklyn Bridge, the Brooklyn side*
15:30 EST May 4, 2012 AD
The bridge was completely cordoned off. The NYPD had sent out the calls for back-up all across the five boroughs, being that the Manhattan divisions were being crushed. The other four boroughs responded accordingly. SWAT trucks and patrol cars were racing across the bridges and tunnels that connected Manhattan to the rest of New York City, while other NYPD officers blocked off the bridges and tunnels as best they could. Transportation across the city to Manhattan had literally stopped. On many subway and railroad lines, angry passengers were forced to wait out in the trains that were stuck in place, unable to enter Manhattan. Bridges were closed off, and hundreds of angry travelers demanded to be let across...only to decide being where they were wasn't so bad once they saw Manhattan off in the distance.
On the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, police and firefighters had cut off the entrance, allowing only SWAT and police through, along with ambulances and some fire trucks. On the other side of the police barriers set up, civilians looked on anxiously at the sight, taking in the numerous officers standing guard on the bridge and seeing law enforcement race across the bridge to help aid the Manhattan divisions.
Suddenly, a honking horn was heard, along with a siren and a few dozen shouts from officers. People barely managed to jump out of the way of a speeding renegade police squad car. The car broke through the barriers and the police on the bridge were forced to dodge or get run over. The car was met with no resistance as it got onto the bridge and sped off towards Manhattan, joining the other cars and trucks and speeding past them.
"OH MY GOD!" Jane yelled as she hung onto the car seat for dear life. There were a lot of things that Thor had managed to adapt to as a mortal and living on Earth, or Midgard as he called it. Driving was not one of them. "THOR, YOU'RE GOING TO GET US KILLED!"
"Oh, ye of little faith," Thor laughed as he continued to speed, slamming his foot on the accelerator even more. "Besides, this is the only way we can get to Manhattan to stop this madness!"
"But did you have to hurt that cop so bad?!" Jane yelled, wincing at the memory of him knocking the officer out cold.
"He'll be fine! What matters now is we get to Manhattan. I truly have a bad feeling about this…"
"I have a bad feeling right now, and it's in my stomach!"Jane screamed. Thor simply laughed again, and continued to speed up, racing towards the battlefields. He was certain he knew what that green energy fogging the city was…
*Times Square*
15:33 EST May 4, 2012 AD
"Y'know, when ya said ya couldn' save 'em," Wolverine yelled out as he snapped his arm back into place and got up, "I thought ya meant they were bein' killed, not bein' juiced up!" With a feral roar, he ran back into the battle, ready to lay down the hurt on.
It wasn't going good. The Enchantress, it seemed, hadn't actually killed the four men that Captain Marvel had seen, but was in fact endowing them with power beyond imagination. The four men were wild about their newfound abilities, and eagerly chose to put them to the test against the heroes before them. They had even chosen their own monikers.
Wrecker, Piledriver, Bulldozer and Thunderball.
"Yeah, I know!" Carol yelled out as she and Piledriver exchanged echoing blows. "You kind of said that already!" She was a bit worried at the moment. It seemed that with their new abilities, these four guys could match her blow for blow...and she didn't know a lot of people out there that could do that. This guy, Piledriver, was easily around her strength level ballpark, which was between 70-90 tons.
"Give it up, sweetheart!" Piledriver laughed maniacally. "You can't beat us, now that we've got this new power!"
"Oh you did NOT just call me 'sweetheart,' you jackass!" she roared in reply, landing a devastating uppercut onto his chin. To her shock, it barely did anything.
"I love the rough girls," he sneered. That earned him a vicious knee kick.
"Forget what she saw," Captain America yelled out as he blocked another blow of Wrecker's crowbar with his shield, allowing Hawkeye to retaliate with a few explosive arrows; this barely did anything. "We hold the line here, no matter what!"
"Easier said than done, Captain!" Natalia yelled back as she barely dodged Thunderball's weapon being thrown at her and Spider Woman. In retaliation, Widow fired her stingers and Jessica fired her venom blasts.
"Is that really the best you can do?!" Thunderball laughed as he started tackling them, only to miss and receive Spider Woman's fist to her face.
"WHY WON'T YOU STAY STILL?!" Bulldozer roared as he came out of the hole he had created in the Disney store when he tried to tackle Mockingbird. He was answered by Logan's claws to his back and Bobbi's staffs on his face. Piledriver roared in pain as he managed to grab the mutant and throw him into a nearby abandoned car. Mockingbird barely dodged the villain's fist.
With the heroes forced to deal with these new contenders, the Jotun were free to continue their merciless destruction across Times Square, causing damage left and right. All the while, the Enchantress and the Executioner watched on, the Executioner as impassive as always but the Enchantress with a smirk on her luscious lips.
"Our lackeys are proving to be quite useful in this fight, after all," she mused.
Skurge grunted his agreement.
"Oh, come now Skurge," Amora said as she turned to him. "Loosen yourself a bit. Enjoy the carnage and rejoice that we shall soon have a world to rule." Skurge looked her, silent and unmoving for a few seconds. Without removing his gaze, he took her arm and pulled her towards him. Amora didn't understand the motion until an energy blast flew past them, right where she had been standing moments ago. Amora smirked as he released her arm. "Ever the silent guardian as always."
Skurge nodded.
"We need a plan here!" Hawkeye yelled out as he fired a net arrow at Wrecker, which was pitifully ripped to shreds. "Nothing we got is doing anything to them! Even Danvers isn't doing much!
"Well then maybe you should just give up!" Wrecker yelled as he brought his crowbar down, slamming into the SHIELD agent and sending him flying into a nearby car.
"CLINT!" Mockingbird yelled as she raced towards him. His arms and leg were broken, and it looked like multiple ribs were shattered. He was coughing up blood, and it looked like he was bleeding internally. "Oh, God, no, not you! Please, don't you leave me!" Bobbi cried as she tried to stop the bleeding in any way. "Please, Clint! Don't you dare die on me!" Her heart tore even more when Clint tried to speak, but only started choking on his own blood.
"Damn you!" Cap yelled as he tackled Wrecker, only to be slammed aside with the crowbar, surviving only thanks to his shield. The others couldn't escape their current battles to help as the Wrecker made his way to the two SHIELD agents.
"Well, this sure don't look good for you, don't it," he sneered, slapping the weapon in his hands.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Bobbi yelled in anger, tears pouring down her face. She clung tightly to Clint as he lay there, slowly dying.
"Oh, please," Wrecker cackled. "What can you do?! I've been given the power of gods! And if I got the power of gods, then that makes ME a god! It makes my buddies gods! That makes us stronger than you all! WE'RE THE STRONGEST ONES ON THE PLANET!"
KRAKABOOM!
"You sure about that?!"
The entire battle stopped as hero and villain alike registered what just happened. Standing between the two humans and Wrecker, rage pumping in his veins and muscles and a snarling smirk on his face, was the Incredible Hulk. Cracking his knuckles, he stood defiantly against the Wrecker, who became momentarily surprised terrified at the "monster" before him. Before he could react, however, Hulk had instantly landed a devastating hit onto his face, sending the villain flying into the nearby Toys-R-US superstore.
"HOLY-IT'S THE HULK!" Piledriver yelled out. "NO ONE TOLD US WE WERE GONNA FIGHT THE FREAKING HULK!"
"Now...time to smash," Hulk sneered as he attacked the nearby Bulldozer.
"Is...is that the Hulk?!" Spider Woman exclaimed.
"Isn't he supposed to be in the Raft?" Natalia asked.
"WHO CARES?!" Logan yelled. "BARTON IS DYING, REMEMBER?!" That brought them back to their senses and they all rushed to where a sobbing Bobbi cradled Clint's dying form.
"Oh my god!" Natalia gasped. She soon felt tears in her own eyes, as did Jessica and even Steve.
"We got to do something, anything!" Bobbi exclaimed.
"Kid…" Logan said softly.
"NO! DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULLSHIT, LOGAN! I WON'T LET HIM DIE!"
"Bobbi!" Carol yelled as she grabbed her and slapped her. "I don't want him to die either, but look around you! WE'RE AT WAR! We can't let our emotions get-!"
"You don't get to talk to me about emotions," Bobbi spat back, instantly silencing the blonde.
"Guys..." Clint managed to gasp, bringing attention back to him. "Bobbi...baby…"
"No," she cried. "Don't...I won't let you die."
"Perhaps, I can help," a female accented voice said. They turned to see a woman in deep red clothing approach them hurriedly. "I think I can help him."
"Wanda?" Logan asked.
"Hello, Logan," she replied.
"As in the Scarlet Witch?" Jessica asked with caution.
"She's been reformed for a few years now," Logan assured.
"Along with Pietro," Wanda said as she pointed towards the Hulk and the four villains. They saw Quicksilver attacking the villains alongside the Hulk, along with…
"Is that the Black Panther?" Cap asked with surprise.
"It is."
"They need our help," Carol said, her fists glowing as she got up. "Scarlet Witch, you sure you can help Hawkeye?"
"I am pretty sure."
"Then let's make sure nothing interrupts her," Captain Marvel replied, her military persona taking over again.
"Agreed," Captain America said. "Logan, Widow and Spider Woman, you're with us. Let's show these goons we don't take kindly to invaders.
Meanwhile, Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball and Bulldozer were doing their best to take on the Hulk, and it wasn't easy at all. His strength was increasing with every blow they landed on him, and he was crushing them. The four villains dealt punches, kicks, weapon smashes, blows, haymakers...anything they could think of, and the Hulk just shrugged it off. They had the power of gods, yes, but the Hulk was a being of near unrivaled strength. He smashed, punched and smashed his way through the four of them. The fact that Quicksilver and the Black Panther were also helping him wasn't making it any easier. With his unparalleled speed and agility, Quicksilver could easily deal out thousands and thousands of blows in a single minute, and with the momentum behind those hits, it was as if they were being hit by the Hulk again. The Panther's claws and daggers stung at them like Wolverine's claws, slashing away at them. His agility and fighting skills were also hurting them, even though he didn't have strength like theirs, but he knew just where to place those hits.
"This is crazy!" Thunderball yelled out! "We was winning five minutes ago, and now we're getting our asses handed to us!"
"Maybe you should take the hint and surrender," Quicksilver smirked.
"Or we could smash you some more," Hulk snarled gleefully, pounding his fist into his palm. "That would work, too."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Captain Marvel said as she, Black Widow, Captain America, Wolverine and Spider Woman joined the three heroes.
"This...doesn't look good," Piledriver said uneasily.
Enchantress frowned. "Hmm...this has been an unexpected change of events. Especially with that green monster. Executioner...deal with him."
The silent warrior nodded, and his stoic face turned into a smirk. His ax began to glow red and orange, and with an unearthly war cry that brought all eyes onto him, he struck, jumping towards the Hulk and striking him down with his ax. The four villains may have had the power of gods...but the Executioner, an Asgardian, was an actual god. With a resonating boom, the two beings crashed into the giant Bank of America bank. The two got up and shrugged off the impact.
"You want to get smashed, too?" Hulk snarled. His only answer was a silent battle stance and an ax that glowed orange with flames. "Then...HULK SMASH!"
The sounds of the battle echoed for dozens of blocks, both titans crashing back outside. Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball and Bulldozer, meanwhile, were busy fighting the other heroes. With the Hulk out of the picture for now, they only had to worry about Captain Marvel and Quicksilver.
Enchantress smirked as she watched the scenes before her. Then suddenly, her magical senses shuddered. Her hands began glowing as she looked in the direction where Wrecker had broken Hawkeye. She sensed arcane magic nearby.
"This is going to hurt him a bit," Wanda said as she held onto Hawkeye's shoulder, her hands glowing pink and the energy enveloping the archer. "But since he's already in pain, that's kind of redundant." At that, Wanda closed her eyes began muttering incantations of a language unknown to Bobbi. Suddenly, her eyes opened again, but where completely pink-red, pupils and all. Clint began yelling out in pain, spitting out more blood. Bobbi almost cried out for Scarlet Witch to stop...until she saw the broken arms begin to heal and snap back into place. Bobbi soon realized that Clint's body was healing. The blood disappeared and his limbs were soon restored. Before long, Clint Barton was happily moving his arms, fingers and leg as he was fully healed.
"Oh, God, I am never taking these babies for granted ever aga-OOMPPH!" he began to say, only to be interrupted by Bobbi's lips on his, her passion shutting down all function in his brain. Wanda smiled as she got up, happy that she had managed to save his life.
"Don't ever scare me like that again," Mockingbird gasped as she ended her kiss, helping Clint get up.
"I'll try not to," he smirked before turning to the mutant. "Thanks, Wanda. What was that?" he asked as he picked up his bow.
"Probability manipulation," she replied. "It's my power. I also do well in arcane arts, so I added a bit of that."
"T'was very powerful, indeed," Amora said with a sinister smile as she appeared before the three heroes. They immediately got into a battle stance. "That was magic unlike anything I have seen in all the nine realms. And such power doesn't belong to a lowly mortal such as yourself."
"And I suppose you deserve it?" Wanda snapped.
"Quite so...as does Lord Loki," Enchantress smirked. "And I WILL take it from you, wench, make no mistake. And there is nothing you can do to stop me!" With that, Amora fired powerful magic blasts, intent on killing the Scarlet Witch and claiming her powers for herself and for Loki. Wanda managed to conjure chaos fields in time to protect herself and the other two from the blasts.
"Both of you help the others!" Scarlet Witch yelled as she turned to Hawkeye and Mockingbird. "I'll handle her!"
"You got it!" Hawkeye agreed as Bobbi nodded. They dashed off with weapons in hand to join the others. This left Wanda and Amora alone against each other.
"You wish to take my power?!" Wanda yelled, conjuring hex spheres all around herself. Her voice held anger and she was suddenly itching for battle. "Then try to take it, witch!" The hex spheres threw themselves at the Enchantress with a wave of her arm, bombarding the villainess and making her scream from the chaotic effects that started to plague her. In rage, she unleashed a surge of her green magic energy in a wave, forcing back the hexes. Amora then fired magic blasts, which Wanda countered with her own arcane blasts. The witch and the sorceress began an exchange of blasts and spells and shields, battling with their all to prove who was the stronger of the two.
Meanwhile, the Hulk was finding that he was in a situation where his opponent was just as strong as he was. The Executioner could match him blow for blow, and he threw some powerful punches. He was also very apt with his ax, shown by the slashes on Hulk's body before they healed up quickly. The Hulk, however, held the title as the strongest being on Earth and he was living up to that name. He landed a devastating right hook on Skurge's cheek, forcing him to stagger back and opening a point for Hulk to follow up with a haymaker, sending the Executioner crashing onto the ground. Hulk made to smash him with both hands, but Skurge caught both arms with his hands, snapping his leg into a powerful kick that sent Hulk staggering back. The villain then began slashing away with his ax once more, managing to get a vicious hit on the Hulk's chest. As green blood oozed out even when the scar began to heal, Hulk unleashed a vicious roar and a thunderclap, sending the Executioner flying into the McDonald's superstore. Hulk jumped after him with a smashing hit ready, and the impact echoed for miles.
Captain Marvel landed a devastating combo of right hooks, uppercuts and roundhouse kicks on Piledriver, keeping the villain in a daze to allow Captain America to land in good hits. "How do you like it now, jackass?!" she yelled, relishing the battle.
Wolverine, Panther and Black Widow struck continuously at Thunderball and Bulldozer, unrelenting in their attacks and combining their efforts to keep the villains unbalanced and off their game. Claws, daggers, bullets and stingers united as one to strike at the two villains.
Wrecker, meanwhile, was holding his own against Quicksilver and Spider Woman. It was clear that he was the strongest of the four villains, and the most dangerous. His crowbar had left craters in the streets as he tried to hit the faster and more agile Pietro and Jessica. He was able to withstand Pietro's powerful punches easier, and he could shrug off Spider Woman's punches easily. "C'mon, sweetheart!" he yelled as he barely missed hitting her with his crowbar. "Give it up, you can't hurt me! How about you let me show you a good time!?"
"You disgusting pig!" the British agent retorted as she fired a Venom Blast to no avail.
"I got a better idea!" Hawkeye's voice rang out as he and Mockingbird joined the fray, to the joy of the others. "How about I show you what happens when you try to kill me!" The archer fired an arrow right at the Wrecker's eye, and it pierced it easily. Wrecker roared in vicious agony as his hand went for his now bleeding eye. "Jess, fire at that eye!" Clint yelled. Spider Woman eagerly complied, and the Wrecker was blinded even further. Swinging blindly, he missed Hawkeye's explosive arrow at his feet and staggered down with a crash to the ground.
"Looks like Wanda fixed you up pretty good," Natalia shouted with a smile as she fired her stingers at Thunderball.
"Yep," Barton grinned as he and Mockingbird attack Wrecker. "Good as new!"
"And where is Wanda?!" Pietro asked.
"Um, she's facing off against the lady in green!"
"YIELD, MORTAL!" Amora yelled angrily as she continued her assault.
"I've never backed down against what the world threw against me," Wanda retorted as she shielded herself and retaliated with hex spheres. "I'm not going to start now!"
"Executioner! To me!" Amora yelled out. She was answered by Skurge being thrown viciously into Bulldozers, both flying right into the middle of Times Square with a crash. This allowed Panther, Logan and Natalia to focus their efforts more on Thunderball.
"Huh, not so strong, after all," Hulk muttered as he came out of the crater he and Skurge were fighting in.
Carol just then landed a devastating ax kick on Piledriver's head, and Cap followed up with a shield smash onto his face. With a yell, Carol unleashed two energy blasts and sent Piledriver crashing into the nearby theater. "Well…" she panted. "THAT took forever and a day." She then saw that Wanda was still in battle with Enchantress, and smirked devilishly. "Oh, this is going to be good." With that, she flew right at the villainess and landed a haymaker on her jaw, sending Amora flying into a nearby abandoned bus. Captain Marvel immediately followed up with a photon blast, making the villainess scream in pain. "PAYBACK TIME, BITCH!" Carol yelled.
"This isn't going good, guys!" Thunderball yelled as he did his best to block all the hits Wolverine, Panther and Black Widow where landing on him.
"GEE, YA THINK?!" Wrecker yelled as he blindly swung at Mockingbird. "I'M FUCKING BLIND IN ONE EYE, FRANKLIN!"
"Everyone, get together, now!" Cap yelled out as he flung his shield, hitting the four empowered humans and the Executioner. The assembled heroes quickly closed ranks and made a passive aggressive formation, ready to both defend and attack in an instant.
"Every minute we spent focused on them, those creatures continue to wreak havoc across the city," Black Panther noted, his daggers ready. "We cannot afford to delay this any longer with millions of lives in danger."
"Agreed," Bobbi agreed, as did the others.
"Then let's stop this already," Logan growled.
"You mortals continue to fight against us...we are your superiors in every way!" Enchantress yelled as she got up. "You cannot hope to stop what is to come!"
"Well, we did just manhandle you all a few seconds ago," Hawkeye grinned, arrows trained on her, Wrecker and Thunderball.
"We are not going to stand down!" Steve said, his shield in his arms. "We will stand against you, no matter the odds, and we will prevail! We're offering you one chance only-call off your attack dogs from destroying the city, and surrender!"
"Never!" Enchantress replied with a yell. "Our invasion cannot be stopped. We shall not surrender. And your power will be mine, mortal!" she added to Wanda. "Executioner!" Skurge, who was helping Piledriver up, took his ax in hand and charged towards the heroes...only to be struck from above by a powerful blue energy blast. With a sonic-like whine, the blast hit Skurge with enough force to send him staggering and slamming back into the ground. Missiles reigned from the skies and exploded on the villain, sending him falling to the ground. With the whine of repulsors, Iron Man, Yellowjacket and Wasp touched down on the ground and joined the others.
"You really should listen to the man," Stark smirked as he readied his repulsors, uni-beam and other weapons. Yellowjacket grew to 10 feet and took up a battle stance while Jan's fists glowed with her stinger energy. Stark then turned to Steve. "Captain."
"Mr. Stark," Cap replied with his own small smirk.
"Hey, Carol and Jess," Wasp said with a smile.
"Hey, Jan," they replied.
"So I'm assuming these guys are the source of what's going on?" Pym asked.
"You betcha, bub," Logan snarled.
"Ready to give up now?" Hulk snarled, cracking his knuckles.
Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball and Bulldozer looked at the heroes before them with worry and unease. Executioner was struggling to get up, using his ax for support, and seething rage in his eyes. But everyone was shocked when Amora began laughing...then cackling.
"Oh you silly mortals," she sneered. "You've already lost. I am going to take the witch's powers, but the rest of you...you will suffer a fate worse than death by Dark Elves." In her mind, she relayed a message: "My Lord, I believe we shall make use of our secret weapon, after all."
'Excellent, my Enchantress.'
Amora then fired more green magic energy at the ground between her and the other villains & the heroes. It spawned into a portal...a rather large portal. As it rose in height, the heroes readied themselves for whatever would come out. "Today, mortals...you will face destruction incarnate!" Amora yelled.
A metallic echoing rumbling came from the portal. Then, slowly, something lumbered out of it…a rather large, metallic and faceless something. It stood two stories tall, and was completely coated in grey and silver metallic plating. Spikes ran across its spine and knuckles. On its head was no face, but what appeared to be a furnace grate-like visor. With a metallic roar, it lumbered towards the heroes.
"What the hell is that?!" Pietro yelled in shock.
"Some kind of machine," Stark replied. "I got this. JARVIS, scan, ID and search for all mechanics to find a way shut it down."
'Error. Unable to locate any mechanics or machinery within armor. This isn't a machine, sir. It is a living self-sustaining suit of armor,' JARVIS replied.
"Oh...that is not good," Stark said. "Wait, you said it's self-sustaining? As in it moves on its own free will?! I've been trying to create armor like that for months! This is amaz-!"
FWOOOARRRROOOWWMMM!
The armor's visor suddenly opened up, and when it did, it shot a devastating blast of flaming energy right at the heroes...specifically the Hulk. To the shock and horror of the heroes, Hulk never stood a chance as he was sent flying dozens of blocks away when the blast hit him. The armor didn't relent until the Hulk was very far away. The Hulk had never felt such a hit; his highly durable skin felt like it was being eaten alive as the energy burned him mercilessly.
"OH MY GOD!" Wanda yelled out.
"Um...that is really not good!" Carol said. "That thing just took out our heaviest gun!"
Amora cackled mercilessly. "Now you shall meet your doom, mortals, at the hands of the Destroyer!"
XXXXX
TO BE CONTINUED…