Chapter 3: I'm Green
More chapters on my (P)atreon at Saintbarbido.
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(General P.O.V)
The building shook.
Despite that, none of the ones inside seemed to really care.
"What are we looking at Tony?"
Cap asked the owner of Stark Industries.
On the table before them, were small pieces left over from the device the Blood Brothers had placed on the Hulk's back.
"A Gamma energy bomb."
He answered, his skin slightly tinged green.
"One designed to release a gamma virus. Before we stepped in and killed the party."
He swiped the screen.
"According to these readings, we got the blunt of a huge dose of that same unstable Gamma Radiation virus."
Iron Man said, zooming in on a d.n.a strand on the holographic screen.
"Isn't that like huh... dangerous?"
Hawkeye asked, crossing his hands across his bigger chest. It was easily noticeable.
Another tremor rocked the building.
"Duh." A sarcastic voice stated.
"Its gamma radiation. What do you expect?"
The voice came from Falcon who was leaning on the wall next to the door to the lab.
"What did you say, punk?"
Hawkeye replied, turning around to face Falcon. Both heroes started growling, a green tint appearing on their skins.
"Okay, everybody calm down."
Iron Man tried to appease them, raising his hands.
"Stark is right." Cap spoke up, cutting in.
"The two of you need to cool off."
Iron Man placed a hand on Captain America's shoulder.
"Do you always have to interrupt me?"
Tony asked, barely contained anger in his voice. His eyes flashed green.
Cap tightened his hold on the shield then he shrugged off the hand before walking away.
"Falcon...how about we check up on the Hulk and Thor?" He suggested.
"Maybe having the Hulk try to teach Thor how to remain in control of his anger wasn't such a good idea. Those two might bring the whole building down on us."
"That's a good idea. And maybe there we can go a few rounds, I'm feeling... irritated."
Falcon added with a growl as they left.
(Billy's P.O.V)
"...have the situation under control?"
A grouchy voice asked.
"The Hulk is not a threat Sir. And Stark is already analyzing the compound and making headway in to finding a cure."
A female voice said from beside the comfy bed I was sleeping on.
After sleeping on the hard floor this past week, the feel of softness was heavenly.
That thought reminded me of all that had happened. I had lost my apartment! I hope the owner had insurance incase aliens clashed through and wrecked your property.
The reality of my situation was enough to make the anger from before surge to the surface. But it felt wrong. It was more... potent. Unreasonable.
I feel like killing something. Anything. That's how mad I was. Then a cool sensation washed down my body from the center of my mind.
Solomon's legacy. It allowed me greater control over my mental and emotional state. I was yet to finish on setting up a complete mind-scape but I was already seeing the benefits.
Rage monster crisis averted, I turned my attention to eavesdropping on the conversation between who I was sure was Black Widow and Fury.
Maybe I would know why I was so angry, apart from the whole apartment thing of course. Oh and also what had knocked me out.
"Yeah. About the cure thing..."
Another voice cut in. It was familiar.
"Stark, of course you were listening."
Fury sighed in frustration.
"My house, my rules." Tony Stark answered before continuing,
"Anyway, I cannot synthesize a cure in the time we have left. The unstable Gamma Radiation is already coursing through our bodies, only Natasha was lucky enough to escape it's range. Its just a matter of time before it goes critical and we become Ave-grenades."
I had to catch myself from cringing at the terrible pun.
"That was..."
Black Widow begun when she caught herself.
Thank God. Let the man have some dignity.
If everything I had heard was true, then the Gamma Radiation was responsible for my unreasonable anger.
It was the green gas I had seen before everything went dark. Unstable Gamma Radiation, the same thing that had given the Hulk his powers. If I got hit by the same thing did that mean I had his powers?
Oh shit. That means, I really really couldn't afford to get mad. Wrecking the city when I was supposed to learn how to defend it was not exactly Champion like.
That is if I even made it to that point in time. The second part of Tony's statement was worrying. We didn't have a lot of time? If the gamma radiation went critical would I explode?
Psionic energy couldn't help out there. I could elect a shield to defend myself from external threats, but what if it was a weapon from inside?
I immediately cut off the introspection. That had been happening more and more these days, I think it was a side effect of Wisdom. Thinking too much leads to too much thinking after all.
"Motherfucker. what other options are we left with?"
Fury cursed out before asking.
"For now, I can try to create a containment field powered by Vibranium that will surround the Tower, keeping all of us inside. If I die Fury, I just want you to know...I have a better beard than you. Ciao."
Widow sighed at his behavior. She then turned to Fury.
"I have an idea we can try. Who's the foremost expert on Gamma Radiation?"
"Banner."
Fury answered with a narrowed eye.
"I know what you're thinking, Widow. I approve, do what you can to get the hulk's help. We cannot afford to lose the Avengers with Red Skull running around."
"Yes Sir."
Black widow answered.
"What about the boy? What does he have to do with this?"
Fury's question made my heart skip a beat.
"Why don't we ask him that?"
Widow replied and I knew the jig was up, so I didn't bother feigning sleep any longer.
I unlocked the wrist cuffs placed on the frames of the bed. With my Psionic shield activated I floated off it and faced Widow.
The room I was in almost made me whistle. Expensive furniture, soft looking carpet, paintings that probably cost more money than I had ever seen and the bed...that thing was huge.
All in all, it was high end, nothing like my apartment. Infact, the space inside this bedroom was 5 times larger than my place. And I still got the feeling that the owner was being modest.
My sight went back to the only other person in the room. Widow had a gun pointed towards my face.
"Jesus! Lower the gun!"
I yelled, putting my hands up in alarm.
I could probably tank it but sue me for not wanting to risk it.
I delved inside her mind in preparation. The second she thought of pulling that trigger I would be able to stop her.
Reading her mind however allowed me to understand it was just a precautionary measure incase I went all rage monster. My skin was tinted green after all.
Oh Fuck...so it was true. I was infected.
"Billy Batson." A black man with an eye-patch said from the holographic screen behind the Black Widow.
The projection came from a small device placed on the desk beside a couch, facing the clear glass panes looking out into the city.
Widow was seated on that couch, a gun held loosely in her hand with one leg crossed over the other.
"Or at least that's what it says on your Driver's license. You appear to be in the system...but something about you feels off. I don't like puzzles."
Fury concluded, while Natasha kept watching me with an impassive expression.
I turned to Fury.
"Tell her to put the gun down and we can talk. I'm not going to turn into the Hulk. My powers allow me to control my own emotions better than the average person."
That gave them pause. A glint of interest appeared in Widow's eyes.
"Riiight."
Fury said.
"I think the gun stays where it is."
I felt a burst of irritation course through me.
"Fair enough."
I sighed, sitting back on the bed.
No use in getting mad when a single tantrum could resort in the entire block getting destroyed.
Besides, I was curious how this would go. I wasn't really scared of them, I might have only had a week's practice with my abilities but I was confident I could defend myself and if it came down to it, escape.
"So what is this? An interrogation? You can't do that without a legal guardian present."
I told Fury.
"Really? Says here that you're an orphan."
Fury replied.
"You managed to get emancipated at 16 and have been supporting yourself through the steadily dwindling stipend that all orphans get once you leave the orphanage."
Then Black Widow took over saying,
"You don't have a legal guardian except for a city appointed official who checks up on you regularly. Your next visit should be in a week or two."
I blinked. Was that the Wisdom of Solomon working in the background? My statement had led to them exposing what they knew about me. Huh, guess I'm getting wiser.
So I was registered as an Orphan. And what kind of Orphanage gives stipends to it's charges?
Maybe it was backed by an ultra rich guy like Tony Stark? Marvel didn't seem to have a shortage of those.
"Now, let's move on to how you can do what you can do." Fury spoke up once more. His tone noticeably took on a hard note. 'Trying to intimidate and coerce me into agreeing to his demands.' the thought drifted to my head.
I didn't even need to peek into Widow's mind to confirm it for myself.
"If you were a mutant, I could send you on your merry way. Maybe help you reach out to a friend. However, that came up negative on our scanners. The question is what are..."
Before he could finish the sentence, the whole building was hit by a massive tremor.
A section of the ceiling caved in, dropping a chunk of concrete down on us. I flew towards Black Widow and caught it before it could squash her.
(Billy's P.O.V)
My clothes shredded apart. Strips of fabric hanging off my frame. I felt a heat inside my muscles. My height had also shot up.
The anger also came back, but it was controlled. I didn't lose my mind.
I could see the surprise mirrored in Widow's eyes. The grip on her gun was tight as she aimed it straight at my forehead.
"The gun is kind of redundant at this point, don't you think?"
I asked, extending my telekinesis along the chunk I was lifting, to better grip it.
"What do you propose? Appealing to your humanity?"
She threw back, a cocky but strained smile on her face.
My descent to the floor under the effects of telekinesis was slow. The change in size and height only became more apparent as I loomed over her. Before she had a few inches on me and now...I estimate I was standing at 6 feet 9, almost close to 7 feet.
My arms were the size of her thighs( she had really good ones too). My chest led down to a toned green belly that had washboard abs. Veins bulged out of my skin. It would have been grotesque if it wasn't for the perfect symmetry of my muscles.
"Well yeah."
I responded, my voice a deep baritone, as I swept the dust off my palms.
"It's called, having a civilized interaction. I am not about to jump out of 7 stories just to cause havoc as a green monstrous man, Widow. Put the gun down. We both know I'll just spit out the bullets."
She contemplated, head turned to stare at me. Then lowered she lowered her weapon with a look that said, 'I'm watching you.'
"Tony, can you hear me?"
Natasha tapped her ear piece, calling out to Stark.
I looked at the chunk of concrete I had placed on the linoleum floor. It was larger than even I was. I stared up at the hole on the ceiling. It's edges were close to a chain holding a massive Chandelier above us.
Based on how effortless that chunk had felt, I wasn't worried about it falling on my head. I felt like I could lift, carry, push or pull anything.
I had so much...power inside. It was twisting and roiling violently, begging to be used. I clutched my fingers into a fist. What would happen if I punched the floor?
Of course, I wasn't going to do it but...I really wanted to see what my limit was.
Was there even one?
"I'm not getting through to any of them."
Widow told me, staring at me suspiciously as I floated in the middle of the room, looking at my hands in amazement.
"Oh."
I looked up.
"That's not good. If the others were hit with the same gamma virus then..."
A roar sounded out, cutting off my next words. A serious look appeared on my face.
"We need to get to them. We can't let anyone leave the building."
Widow said in urgency, turning around to run towards the elevator.
Before I could follow, the ground erupted between us. Out came the Hulk, a plume of dust and pieces of concrete erupting behind him as he disappeared onto the next floor through the hole on the ceiling.
The chandelier rocked dangerously.
With a loud crash, a huge green Thor similarly burst out from the wrecked floor. Shit...he was even bigger than I was!
He landed on the edges of the hole, staring up at the upper floor.
"How doth my Hammer taste, beast?!"
He roared.
I shared a look with Widow.
"Get out of here!"
I yelled, lunging towards the Asgardian god.
Thor turned towards me, a glint of malicious intelligence in his eyes.
"Come!"
He shouted, spinning and throwing his hammer my direction.
Mjolnir landed on my shoulder, forcefully breaking through my psionic shield and throwing me to the wall of the room. The pain was more like a light punch but I was still thrown away by the force.
My back was pushed out of the building, spinning uncontrollably through the air.
I blindly threw my hands behind me, causing a shockwave of Psionic energy that pushed me back towards the retreating Hammer.
I grabbed Mjolnir's handle and allowed it to pull me towards Thor, one hand cocked.
We broke through the same hole, headed towards Thor as he loomed over Natasha.
Her gun ran out of bullets and it was clear that once Mjolnir was in his hands, Thor wouldn't hesitate to bring it down.
"Blondy!"
I called out, he turned to stare at me in shock. I allowed the anger to take over for a brief moment.
My sight went red, I yelled, letting fly a heavy punch that landed on his cheek.
There was a pressure blast, my bones ringing as the impact forced Thor to shoot out towards the elevator, he broke through the doors, slammed onto the tunnel wall and fell down the shaft.
I offered black widow a hand. She stared at it, breathing heavily from almost dying.
"Really? I just saved your life."
I told her, a little peeved that she was still treating me with suspicion. Her eyes jumped to something behind me.
I was already moving before she could warn me.
The arrow that was aimed for my heart was blocked by my Psionic barrier, exploding upon contact and filling the room with smoke.
The damaged floor behind my feet cracked as I jumped, digging my knee onto Hulked-out Hawkeye's solar plexus. The gamma infected archer, coughed out as the hit drove him to clip a corner out of the chandelier hanging above us.
The whole thing had finally had enough and came crashing down.
Or it would have I didn't push my hand and grip it in Telekinesis. The chandelier stopped in midair.
Of course that's when Iron Man flew in from the outside, shattering the glass on the side of his multimillion building.
He was wearing a huge suit of armor that was reminiscent of the Hulk Buster. And looking at his enlarged green head, it was clear that no other suit could have theoretically fit.
He looked around before the veins in his eyes grew prominent.
"This is all the Hulk's fault!"
He complained in anger.
"Where. Is. He? I'm gonna smash him into pieces!"
He knocked his iron gauntlets together.
Another mind entered my range. Falcon was using the elevator shaft to come this way. I can't take on both Iron Man and Falcon at the same time.
"We got more incoming."
I told Widow.
"Plan B. Keep them all occupied, I'll get the Hulk. He's the only chance we have at ending this."
Widow told me, running up, jumping onto my shoulder before pushing herself towards the hole on the ceiling.
She couldn't quite reach it as it was pretty high due to the size of the room. That's where I came in.
I pushed her with my telekinesis and she disappeared into the next room.
Before she could leave my range, I dove into her mind.
"...refuse to believe Banner didn't have contingencies for this kind of thing."
I caught the tail end of her thoughts. Banner? As in Bruce Banner? The Hulk was Banner's Alter-Ego. But in this world it was the opposite. I hadn't seen Bruce even once. This just further proved how this wasn't really Earth-199999.
Another roar sounded out from the next room over.
"That. Hurt."
Hawkeye said, crashing through the wall. He narrowed his eyes at me.
"You."
"Me."
I told him, readying myself.
Iron Man clashed his fists together again, staring at me as if I was a shit stain on his clothes.
"You let Natasha get away. Natasha the traitor. Natasha who's spying on us for Fury!"
Hulk Stark growled, stomping towards me.
"If I can't smash the Hulk... I'm going to smash you!"
Oh shit.
Keep them occupied huh? How exactly? One was a spy/assassin and the other was in a titanium metal suit. Not to mention, they had the Hulk's super strength and durability.
I did too but that only levelled the playing field slightly. They still had more experience on me. At least I didn't have to deal with Falcon anymore.
(General P.O.V)
Through the Elevator shaft, Falcon's jet pack worked overtime to carry his increased weight. He was headed for Hawkeye. Hawkeye who gave him a hard time.
Hawkeye who always ate the last cookie.
Hawkeye who still hadn't made him feel welcome in the Avengers.
He would reach him and pound his arrogant face in.
However before he went far, a red and blue shield with a star in the middle flew from below, smashing onto his jetpack. The device blew up and Falcon begun falling towards the bottom.
(Billy's P.O.V)
Well then.
Here goes nothing.
The Chandelier in the air shot out under my control, smashing into Hawkeye, just as I strafed to the left, escaping the dozen or so small missiles that shot out of Iron-Man's shoulder pauldrons.
I held out a hand towards the missiles, changing their direction towards Iron Man. There was a massive explosion at his position. The weight of his armor and the heavily damaged floor compromised its integrity, causing most of the floor except the very edges to cave in.
Iron Man fell just as I reached Hawk-Eye.
From the get go, I knew I wouldn't be able to fight him at close range, so once I was within distance of him, I slapped both palms together, each covered in a telekinetic shroud.
To his benefit, he crouched on the ground and placed his hands before him in a guard. The pressure blast produced by my move failed to throw him back.
Then I'll try again!
Just as I was about move in a second time, the roar of thrusters alerted me to something moving my way. Iron Man shoulder-checked me, pushing us through the glass to the outside.
I tried to control him with TK but my control seemingly washed off him.
We stopped in mid-air, his palm locked around my throat.
I tried to pry off the arm but despite clawing at the armor, I couldn't get a grip to tear it apart. That makes sense. This thing looks like it was made with the Hulk in mind.
Something else bothered me. Why were my abilities not working?
"You're not the first telepath/telekinetic I've fought boy. The armor runs a small frequency that bounces back any psionic or emphatic energy."
He answered, as if seeing the question on my face.
Shit. I hadn't thought of that. It figures he would be prepared for this situation. I was far from the only Psionic Manipulator around.
Then again, Solomon's legacy was not Psionic Manipulation. At least not at its core.
Solomon's legacy was Wisdom, a magic imparted onto the champion of the gods, Shazam. I refuse to believe that Tony accounted for my brand of telepathy.
Besides, magic mostly worked on pure stubbornness and belief.
"You let Widow escape."
He said, beginning to squeeze my neck.
Veins protruded across my forehead.
"You killed the vibe, so she decided to bail...if you want to blame someone, blame yourself."
I stopped trying to touch him with my TK and started believing I was already doing it.
There.
At the edge of his armor was a hum. I imagined my Psionic energy like a scalpel and where the hum was weaker...I sliced the vibrating wave and then sent a tendril of mental energy through.
I dived into Stark's mind. Maybe I could...
Rage.
Rage.
Rage.
Destroy!
A scream escaped my lips as my mind was assaulted by so much fury I struggled to think. It was all consuming and so so potent.
My own anger similarly surged out, adding force to my Psionic energy. Both abilities worked in tandem to give me clarity.
The presence of my mind-scape was a soothing balm upon my mind. It was like a structure built out of the strongest materials standing up to a large ocean wave.
It allowed me a chance to think.
I quickly centered myself and turned the Cooling sensation towards Stark's mind.
The hold on my neck disappeared as Iron Man flew black, rubbing his face while groaning.
"Can you believe all this started because of peanut butter?"
He joked.
Peanut butter? Well, with a rage monster, an Asgardian god, 2 spies, a genius and...Falcon, playing roommates it made sense that anything could be a trigger to unleash havoc.
"Yeah. Yeah I can."
I answered honestly.
(General P.O.V)
The Iron Skull.
That was his new moniker. He was not the Red Skull.
Not really.
Despite looking, acting and sounding like him, he was not the original. He was a clone of Captain America's greatest foe.
The real Red Skull had died in the war but Hydra had cloned him and uploaded his entire memory.
But then his body had begun to break down.
Whether due to the batch of Super Soldier Serum that was a little inferior to the genuine article or his d.n.a destabilizing due to being a clone, it hadn't mattered.
Times had changed so he had to change as well.
The Avengers and Shield had destroyed 90% of Hydra, necessitating Red Skull to try new tactics.
First he managed to procure one of Iron Man's Suit and then went about establishing his Cabal.
A collection of the Avenger's greatest enemies. An Anti-Avengers of sorts.
And using it, had launched a campaign against Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Inside a HYDRA sub marine that was shielded from all kinds of radar detection, Iron Skull sat on his throne in a painted black Iron Man armor.
He was thinking about their latest scheme.
Most of the Cabal's plans had been trounced in the past, however, he had a feeling that this one would work.
Turning the Avengers into raging monsters was brilliant of him. All it had taken was using one of M.O.D.O.K's experimental...
"Skull!"
An annoyingly grating voice called out.
Speak of the devil.
The voice belonged to a floating head, with tiny almost atrophied limbs.
"M.O.D.O.K."
Iron Skull nodded.
"Save it Skull."
M.o.d.o.k levitated forward.
"You accessed my lab and took something without my permission! The gamma device was incomplete!"
Iron Skull stood up, his lips thinning.
"Watch your mouth, M.o.d.o.k. Do not mistake your position. I don't need you..." He walked down the steps.
"...You need me."
Iron Skull said, looming over M.O.D.O.K.
"Well, your plan to use it on the Avengers failed. Stark has elected an energy field around his tower, trapping them inside."
M.O.D.O.K smugly informed him.
Iron Skull hummed.
"I see."
Then an evil smile appeared on his face.
"Tell the rest we are going on a small team building exercise. Atuma especially will not want to miss this."
(Billy's P.O.V)
The rumbles coming from Stark tower were audible even from the distance.
Black Widow's hover car then left the pad, flying off quickly. Inside it, the Hulk was cramped in a small space. The hover car passed beside us without slowing down.
Tony and I shared a look.
"Okay Kid, here's the plan. You stay here and keep a look out. I need to stop them from redecorating my favorite Skyscraper."
He said, activating the thrusters to leave.
"Wait! What do you mean stay here?! I'm in this too!"
I immediately protested.
That was a terrible plan.
"This is an Avenger's matter. Last I checked you need to have graduated high school to be a member. Listen, Shield is already on it's way. They'll...help you. Just stay put."
Then he was off, blasting towards the tower.
I thought about it. I could just follow him, he couldn't really stop...
The thought faded from my mind as a blue energy field appeared around the tower once Tony was through.
Fuck.
I wish I could just go home...of course now that I don't have one, I have no idea where home would be.
I wonder if Grandma's house exists in this universe? But it's a really long distance to Vermont for someone who can't even afford a bus ticket.
I guess I could always fly there. Or leap there now that I was all hulked out.
Speaking of which, was I going to explode like Tony said we would?
And again, how could he be so reckless?! I was more risk out here than in there, couldn't he see that? Now I was getting angry.
Still, the only choice I do have is to wait. I couldn't leave just in case the Avengers needed me. Plus my best bet at getting cured was waiting for Natasha.
I could already feel the heat in my muscles steadily growing oppressive.
I sighed, floating down towards the rooftop. I still can't believe I'm actually flying under my own power.
Solomon's Legacy was really something. I couldn't wait to see what the next legacies would give me.
Just as I sat on the edge of the roof, a flashing Shazam symbol appeared at the corner of my vision.
There were now two of them. I must have received the first one after falling unconscious, seeing as it was now the next day, Saturday.
Which meant, I had completed the week long mission.
And sure enough the first notification predictably informed me that I got a bed for completing that mission.
I didn't rush into receiving it as there was literally no where I could put it. My apartment was gone.
I moved on to the next notification just as the roar of a Quinjet blasting through the sky towards me sounded out.
(New Mission)
(Save New York from Iron Skull and his cabal)
(Rewards:- Complete renovation of your apartment.)
Shit. Iron Skull and his Cabal. That meant, Red Skull in an Iron Man suit of armor, M.O.D.O.K, Atuma who was like a discount Namor and...
Who was the last one?
It didn't matter because just one of those dudes was bad news. The research into villains and heroes that I had been doing showed that a fight with any of them usually led to casualties.
According to the Wikipedia dive, People always got injured and in worst cases died.
Atuma alone could drown the whole city under. In fact I think he tried to collapse the subway by using water bombs once.
If they were attacking, it was because they most likely knew that the Avengers were indisposed.
Infact, I could already see smoke rising up from the direction of Central park.
I clicked accept and turned to face out into New York. This city hadn't given me the best of welcomes.
My first day I had been attacked by vampires, then just today, my apartment had been destroyed.
But I would protect this City, with or without The Avenger's approval. It was what a Champion would do.
I jumped off the ledge of the roof, the wind sailing past my face, blowing my now longer hair back.
I timed my landing onto the street next to the spot Shield had parked the Quinjet. I startled the soldiers lining out.
The ground splintered into a web like formation as I pushed off it once, covering myself with a telekinesis shroud to control my trajectory.
The physical strength from the gamma virus gave me an initial burst of speed, greatly decreasing the consumption of my mental energy as I flew to the scene.
I weaved through the skyscrapers, noting I needed more practice to make the flight more instinctual. As I was, I had to actively focus to keep myself floating.
Then a boom, which was the shaft part of a crane, connected with my chest, smacking me away. The attack had literally come out of nowhere.
My body smashed through a building, crashing worktables and desks in the office space I found myself in. There was instant pandemonium as people begun running away.
I got to my feet, unsteadily, stumbling slightly. 'What the fuck was that?'
I focused on my telepathic range, waiting to see if the attacker would attack again.
Only for my eyes to widen when the crane from before was thrown towards the Skyscraper I was in. The crane's tower seemed to have been torn off its foundation.
And it would absolutely wreck this floor and the one above and below, or atleast that was the information Solomon's legacy gave me.
I roared out in defiance, relishing the power in my body while bounding forward like a firetruck. I broke through the glass, sailing out of the building and onto the oncoming machine.
My hands wrapped around the metal shaft along with someone strong entering my Telepathic range. Now!
I twisted my body, spinning as I threw back the crane towards the strong mind. The crane spun towards the park.
I winced at the destruction it caused. Dozens of trees were uprooted with the wrecked crane carving grooves on the healthy grass.
I floated in midair waiting. And sure enough, a second later the Blood Brothers jumped towards me!
They each had a single arm pulled back.
"Ready for a rematch Hulk!?"
One of them, R'Hos asked.
"I'm not the Hulk but trust me, you will wish I was!"
I pushed out both of my hands, pushing them back with a wall of telekinetic force as I allowed my own body to free fall.
The brothers looked surprise for a time before they landed on the ground, my feet planted on the chest of one of them.
The ground suffered more greenery casualties as I jumped off R'Hos's unconscious form.
His twin was slowly crawling away, the landing seeming to have hurt him. I walked forward and tapped his shoulder.
He tensed, looking behind him only for a massive green punch to connect with his temple, sending the red alien off to Dreamland.
For a second I couldn't believe it. These same guys had been giving me trouble but now...with the combination of my Psionic abilities and the Hulk's powers, I made short work of them.
I tried not to focus on the steadily growing heat in my muscles that was now approaching unbearable.
"Impressive work."
A voice said from behind me. How had I not sensed it?
I turned to look at the source and almost blanched. My new opponent had arrived. Over 6 feet with a completely white carapace.
A super-adaptoid. A machine that contained a matrix that can adapt to not only damage, but also copy someone's abilities.
On it's mid-section was a face grinning down at me arrogantly.
"You made short work of the minions but I am afraid, before the power of the Super Adaptoid, you are nothing."
M.O.D.O.K gloated.
"Stop wasting time with needless talk. This creature is not deserving of it."
Another deep voice stated from the left.
This time I felt two powerful minds enter my range.
Turning towards the new threat, I knew things were about to get entertaining. They rode on a Tsunami made of water.
Atuma, a blue skinned humanoid figure that I recognized as Antlantean and lastly, Red Skull in an Iron Man armor.
I see. The Super Adaptoid had the same psionic shielding Stark and thats why I hadn't sensed it but had sensed Iron Skull and Atuma.
The Avengers were not here to save the day, which meant I had to.
"Now then..."
I cracked my knuckles, feeling a surge of excitement within me.
"Let's rumble."
(General P.O.V)
"Really? You buried it?"
Black Widow shook her head at the Hulk, wondering how such a powerful device could be placed somewhere so...remote.
They were on a range deep in Adirondack Mountains, which lay in the northeastern part of New York, almost 300 miles away.
The green Behemoth looked back dumbfounded.
"What? I wanted it to be safe! And it's not like I told anyone else where I put it!"
He defended.
"Exactly! Had you trusted me or Stark or the others, this would have been on hand in case something like this ever happened."
She snapped back slightly, then shook her head, rubbing her temples.
The Hulk blinked before growling.
"Fine. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
Natasha was a bit surprised at the soft and genuine promise. Normally Hulk wasn't so...understanding.
Their current situation must have really jarred him. Then again, she would freak out if there were more people like her, cold assassins trained to be the best.
The world would be plunged into a different kind of chaos.
"Just hurry up and let's go. I don't want to listen to Stark complain about the loss of his precious tower."
She informed him just as a call came in through her comms.
"Black Widow here."
She tapped on her ear piece.
A second later her face changed.
"Shit. We'll be there in 10. let's just hope the kid can keep them occupied before we arrive."
"You don't need to concern yourself with Iron Skull, we have Spiderman and his team en route to provide back up to . Did you find what you were looking for?"
Maria Hill, Fury's second in command replied.
Black Widow's gaze jumped to the Hulk who was pulling something off the shattered ground before she answered.
"We have the gamma siphoning device."
At least something had gone right.
Still, she hoped Billy would be alright. Iron Skull and his Cabal were bad news. She remembered the time when she was infected by Dracula with vampirism.
Natasha still had nightmares about the unquenchable bloodlust
She shook her head. They needed to get back. ASAP.
(Billy's P.O.V)
Up against three of the Avenger's biggest enemies. Could I do this?
Something within me said it didn't matter.
The lance in the blue skinned Atlantean's hand glowed as Atuma spoke.
"Skull, let's make haste. Atuma wants to bring this accursed place to its heel."
The Tsunami they were on, begun to churn, the large volume of water he had most likely stolen from the lake, begun to flow towards another direction.
Iron Skull turned to the Super Adaptoid.
"Do not disappoint me, M.O.D.O.K. Finish this creature and..."
Wait, did he think I was going to let them leave?
Fat chance!
I pulled on the strength roaring in my body, pulled my hands back and smacked them together, producing a rippling force that smashed onto the Tsunami, throwing them all back with a spray of the water.
"You're not going anywhere! You lake water stealing assholes."
I roared, using my telepathic range to keep them within my awareness.
The insult was admittedly lacking but I was all for nature. And Atuma should have known not to mess with the park's lake water.
"I will..."
Iron Skull growled out threateningly, getting off the ground.
Only for me to smash into him at subsonic speeds, the distance between us cleared in seconds.
"Yeah yeah, you'll kill me and whatnot." I told him, shoulder checking the Nazi leader through a fountain and crumbling the stone structure.
I reared back a hand to punch him on his ugly red face. Only for the water splashing around us to change form into snake like constructs that bound my body down.
Fuck! I should have kept the telepathic shield around me active throughout. I was relying too much on the Hulk's durability. Unfortunately, it was a bit hard to use both abilities at the same time.
Iron Skull pulled his knees close to his chest, before smashing the armor's jet thrusters onto my belly.
The force was enough to lift me up and throw me away, my body carving a groove through the ground, before crashing through a few trees.
I coughed, getting to my feet as I felt, the heat in my muscles grow to more uncomfortable levels.
It took a lot of effort to swallow the groan that was about to escape my lips.
Then my head whipped to the side as something blunt and heavy landed on my cheek. A hammer similar to Thor's but held in M.O.D.O.K's robotic arm.
I actually felt that one.
M.O.D.O.K snickered.
I spat out blood and a tooth, anger surging from deep within me, momentarily taking over my mental faculties.
I took a step back, then yelled, winding back an arm before punching out to my front in pure instinct.
My hand phased through the Super-Adaptoid's face. The pressure wave generated from my fist caused the trees behind the hologram to bend and numerous leaves to be blown up into the sky.
'Move!'
All of my instincts shouted at me as I realized I had been duped.
I was too slow to move away.
Something hot smashed onto my back, however, just because I couldn't dodge it, didn't mean, I couldn't tank it.
I had learned from my earlier mistake and spared focus to keep a telekinetic shield around me.
The shield blocked the attack, which was a repulser beam, causing it to splinter off to the sides.
Then it was my turn, I spun to face the real M.O.D.O.K, surprising him by grabbing the Super-Adaptoid with telekinesis, pulling him towards me.
Only for the ground to tremble when Atuma landed behind us, destabilizing my footing and causing me to lose control of the hold I had on the robot.
M.O.D.O.K took that opportunity to lift Thor's hammer, causing the clouds above to gather ominously. Chills broke out across my skin. I couldn't let that hit me.
Iron Skull was also coming down from the right at fast speeds, the iron man armor's palms lighting up with repulser beams.
With Atuma rearing back his fist for a devastating punch at my back, they had me at a disadvantage. It was a pincer move.
My mind begun to work fast. My thoughts ran fast. Faster than my bost could keep up.
Without thinking, I moved my psionic energy, grabbing a hold on Iron Skull and redirecting his flight towards M.O.D.O.K who had finished bringing the copy of Thor's hammer down, causing a large streak of lightning to come down on me.
2 seconds before that, I had rotated my body to catch Atuma's fist.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immoveable object?
Our collision was not exactly at that level but the ground under us cratered, cracks spreading out and causing soil and patches of green grass to go flying away.
"You're...
Atuma begun to say, before I kicked up into his mid-section causing him to widen his eyes, spitting out blood.
The force behind the hit was enough to throw him to the sky, just as I reinforced the telekinetic shield around me.
The large streak of lightning landed on Atuma's back, causing the Atlantean to howl in pain before falling onto the ground next to me.
The lightning harmlessly washed down my barrier just as I fell to my knees, my head pounding like a bitch.
I felt nauseous and dizzy. There was loud breathing and cursing before something collided onto the small of my back, carrying me forwards at crazy speeds, and right onto the path of a furious and smoking Antlantean.
Atuma whipped the trident in his hands and struck it across my face.
My head jerked back from the impact, the strength behind the Antlantean's blow, enough to forcefully flip me around, before I hit the ground the third time since the fight had begun.
Shit. I had gotten distracted!
There was a surprised yelp from a nearby couple sitting on a bench.
"Go, get out of here!"
I slurred at them and they scrambled away, screaming in panic while I tried to get up and failed.
So instead, I propped my body back onto the ground.
My vision was still swimming, the world spinning and a trail of blood falling from my forehead. But this was mostly from getting hit.
So okay...just because I have the Hulk's powers doesn't mean I have his durability.
The reason could be two fold.
One, his powers relied on his anger but with my Psionic abilities and Solomon's legacy ensuring I was always in control of my mind, I couldn't channel the necessary anger.
The other reason could be that, his body had adapted and grown even stronger from the gamma energy inside him.
In comparison, my body's rate of adapting was not as fast. That could be why the heat in my muscles had been steadily growing intense.
And I suspect I had a concussion. Along with a few broken ribs, just breathing sent waves of pain to my back.
Let's just lie down here for a little while.
I was getting my ass kicked. Why was I getting my ass kicked? I fought off a Hulked out Thor, Hawkeye and Iron Man and basically won. Kinda.
Why was I fairing bad with their enemies? People who they beat almost on a daily basis?
I heard them before they entered my range and instead of finishing me off, Iron Skull begun to monologue.
Good...I could take advantage of this. Maybe come up with a plan before I lost my life only one week into this verse.
I sluggishly tried to get away only to be flipped over onto my back and the trident placed below my neck.
I looked up and found myself surrounded.
From the left, the Super Adaptoid stood with a construct of Mjolnir formed at the end of it's left limb and Captain America's shield on it's right.
Iron Skull stood in the middle of the other two, hands clasped behind his back and finally, Atuma was on my right, a glare on his face as he regarded me.
The glare could be because of his smoking body from the lightning.
"Did you really think you could best us? Atuma is a Warlord, I am a combat tactician and The Super-adaptoid is adaptable."
Iron Skull sneered.
A plan begun forming in my mind. If it worked then I could deal with the three of them at the same time, saving the day and getting back my apartment.
Hardly something worthy of inspiring heroics but that apartment had grown on me.
"No more talking, time for slaying. No one hurts Atuma!"
Atuma growled out.
My heart jumped as the tips of his trident glowed golden, pushing slightly into my neck.
Not yet.
"Wait."
I said, forcing my tone to be calm as I stared at the Skull.
"Don't you think I would be more valuable alive?"
"Wait, Atuma."
Iron Skull raised a hand as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"He could be a good bargaining chip."
"A lab-rat if that fails. I would love to find out how his biology works."
M.O.D.O.K added, his face disturbingly cruel.
Atuma growled, retracting the spear.
"Fine."
A pair of cuffs seemed to form in the Super-adaptoid's hands as it walked forward.
During the entire conversation, I had been gathering all the energy inside my body
It hadn't been easy at first, however from my judicious efforts on learning how to control my psionic abilities, I had gained an uncanny skill with energy control.
It wasn't at the level of reinforcing my muscles, skeleton or organs directly but I could project blasts of telekinetic force from anywhere in my body.
And that rang true for any other internal energy within me.
If I could perceive it, I could control it.
"Huh?"
A startled sound left Skull's skinless lips as the three of them found themselves held in place, immobile by my telekinesis.
"What sorcery is this!?"
Atuma yelled.
A smile spread across my face.
"Actually, I think I've changed my mind. I'm no one's lab-rat."
I looked up at the bright sky and one word left my mouth.
"SHAZAM!"
There was a brief silence, before M.O.D.O.K's screech of fear was drowned out by a massive explosion of gamma energy.
I felt the power leave my body in wide streaks followed by an omnidirectional wave of green light.
For a second I worried that I had miscalculated the area of effect. But Solomon's legacy came in clutch once again.
The energy wave slammed onto the boundaries of the shield along my telepathic range which had grown to a hundred meters.
The energy wave failed to break through, receding and searching for another path.
That extra energy shot towards the sky and away from the planet.
The heat in my muscles disappeared as I shrank down, my body fully devoid of any gamma energy.
A notification appeared at the corner of my eye. I had succeeded in the mission.
(Billy's P.O.V)
I clicked on the notification instantly.
I needed to see it.
(Mission Accomplished)
(Save New York from Iron Skull and his cabal)
(Rewards:- Complete renovation of your apartment) - Receive?
I breathed out a sigh of relief, good.
It wasn't easy, I hadn't thought it would be but...it had been much harder than I had expected.
I'd gone up against 3 Supervillains who by themselves were like a small army.
M.O.D.O.K was a genius scientist, Iron Skull was a supersoldier inside an Iron Man Armor and the less said about Atuma the better.
That's why I couldn't stay on the ground, no matter how much I wanted to rest my head a little. That finishing move had left me feeling lethargic.
The good thing was that my body was now free of the Gamma Virus.
The headache and the pain on my ribs would take time to heal but atleast I wasn't going to explode soon.
The only downside was that I couldn't exactly train while injured. A normal concussion took 7 to 14 days to heal. That meant at least an entire week of inactivity.
Maybe I could use that time as I healed, to complete the next level of the Mind - Palace.
Maybe I could even explore the ideas I had about coming up with a new psionic ability.
Now that school wasn't necessary, after all I had completed the mission, there was time to work on my powers.
Something like regeneration would have have healed my injuries. Not to mention, I could think of a few ways Magnetism would have come in handy during the fight with the Cabal.
Coincidentally, coming up with an original psionic ability was the only mission I was yet to complete.
Accomplishing it would reward me with the ring of Solomon. Something that was equal parts useful as well as dangerous.
An artefact that gave the user control over the 72 demon pillars.
I was still...undecided if I even wanted something like that.
That's a lie. I wanted it, I just didn't think it was smart to use it.
Messing with the forces of hell dared to bring Mephisto's gaze and attention to me. I WAS NOT ready for something like that.
Even at Shazam's full power he wouldn't survive half the shit someone like Johnny Blaze went through because of Mephisto.
Demons aside, I covered my body with a psionic aura and raised myself from the ground.
I was shirtless and the pants I had worn before were now strips of fabric hanging off my legs.
Clothes were the furthest thing in my mind however.
I floated towards the fallen Cabal lying on the edges of the crater created by the discharge of the gamma energy.
The area around us was devastated. The crater being close to 300 yards in size. (270 meters across)
Iron Skull was propped up against a broken tree trunk, the arc reactor core on his chest looked dim and the armor itself was dented in places. A trail of blood fell down his forehead.
Atuma was lying on his back, groaning. The entire front of his armor was melted.
The chest plate going down to cover his belly and the guards along his thighs and limbs seemed to have melded into his blue skin.
That looked painful. I was cautious with him. Out of the three of them, he seemed to be responsive.
I turned to the Super-Adaptoid next. M.O.D.O.K had gotten the worst of it.
The Super-Adaptoid's left side was entirely missing. M.O.D.O.K's atrophied left hand, ended in an injury a little past the elbow.
The injury didn't seem to be bleeding normally, the wound was glowing red, his flesh bubbling and then before my eyes...it started healing.
What the...
The only thing that I knew could that was...
Extremis.
But How? How did M.O.D.O.K have access to Extremis?
The good thing was that none of them seem to be dead. I knew Marvel heroes were not as dead set on letting some villains live like DC, but I still didn't want them thinking I was a killer.
Not sure how long the Cabal was going to stay knocked out though, but I hoped Shield or the Avengers would arrive and cart them away before they woke up.
On the bright side, I could use Atuma's blue cape to create something I could temporarily wear.
A crude mask was especially necessary, taking into account that I was still in a public place.
Didn't matter that a small part of it looked like the sight of a massive bomb explosion.
I estimate there wouldn't be any picnics in the park for the foreseeable future.
The authorities would need to ensure that all traces of the Gamma Virus were gone and that meant cordoning it off from the public.
I lifted Atuma off his back, using Telekinesis to detach him from his cape.
Then I dropped his body back to the ground roughly. I was still salty about him ruining the lake.
I studied the cape closely.
It was obviously something of high quality. Which wasn't surprising really.
Atuma was a Warlord, one who could claim dominion over the most resource heavy place in the world, the ocean.
'Could' being the key word as Namor would sooner eat his own liver than allow something like that.
He and Atuma were bitter enemies in the comics, I'm guessing it was still the same here as well.
That aside, the cape was sufficient for what I would need. Covering my nudity.
My grandma was amazing at stitching. The fact that her only daughter only had 1 kid, and it wasn't a girl, was a point of contention for her.
The old woman wanted to pass on her skills.
So she decided to teach me instead.
The blue cape underwent changes as I used telekinesis to sever and twine the threads into a simple Dhoti, which was basically baggy pants that were comfy.
Then I cut the cape into a long plain strip of cloth. An Angavastra which I hang over my shoulder.
It was a simplistic solution that didn't take long. I didn't have time to create pants and a t-shirt.
The rest of the material was used for a ski mask that completely covered my face.
There were two holes cut into it to form eye holes for me to see through.
I looked like Aladdin if he wore a face mask, the only thing missing being his signature vest and hat.
With my identity safe and dignity restored, I turned to my enemies.
The rest of the material was twisted into strong and tight ropes that Solomon's Wisdom informed me had been strung and weaved to possess the the tensile strength of a metal cable.
Atlantean fabric for the win. Yay.
Oh and telekinesis for the win too!
The ropes swam through the air like snakes under my power. They crept up the Cabal's forms and ensnared them fully.
It would be nothing more than a minor inconvenience for them to break apart the ropes. But that was alright, I could already feel someone enter my range.
They swung through the trees.
Spiderman.
Before the friendly neighborhood superhero and what I was guessing was Shield could arrive, I decided to see if there was anything else cooler I could...heh...borrow from the Cabal.
My eyes immediately landed on the Golden Trident lying next to Atuma. I smiled. Mine.
The trident flew to my hands and immediately...I could feel my mind tap into a boundless well of power. The ocean!
This was the Trident of Neptune! I immediately threw it into my hammer space which was just barely big enough to accommodate the weapon.
'That surely won't cause problems for me in the long run.' I mused sarcastically.
Then turned around to face the blue and red clad superhero watching from the branch of a tree.
He had just arrived.
Spiderman tilted his head to the side and I stopped myself from diving into his mind to find out what he was thinking.
I could feel his surprise though. Whether it was due to the fact that I had just soloed the Cabal or my weird costume or the crater, I had no idea.
"Hi there. Hope they didn't give you too much trouble. Tried to punch Atuma on the face once...bad idea."
Spider man started off cautiously.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
I intentionally vibrated the air infront of my lips with telekinesis, causing my voice to be distorted but still audible.
Spiderman tapped his ear and mumbled something that was too low for me to hear, before jumping down onto the crater.
He looked around at the destruction and whistled.
"Looks like that one time the Rhino fought the Hulk."
He had no idea how close he was to the actual truth. I wasn't the Hulk but I'd been a 'Hulk.'
Spiderman stopped a few places away from my floating form and held out a hand.
"Hi there. Spiderman. And you are?"
I floated to the ground and shook it, noticing that I was still a little taller than him.
"Call me..."
At that, I stopped. I could go with any other superhero name. A few cool ones even existed like Paragon or Fortitude, maybe even simply Champion to allude to my connection with the Gods.
But... nothing seemed to feel as right as what I knew, was always going to be my Superhero identity.
"Shazam. The Marvelous Shazam."