Blaster fire erupted through the dimly lit corridors of the Leader's warship, illuminating the metal walls with bursts of crimson and blue. Marr led his detachment of VVPD officers deeper into the ship's interior, his lightsaber humming a steady song of defiance. With every step forward, the gamma troopers pushed against them, their enhanced physiology making them formidable foes. Yet Marr remained calm, guiding the officers with the Force, sensing their fear, their determination, and using it to anchor them in the chaos of battle.
"Stay in formation!" Marr commanded as he deflected a barrage of blaster bolts, sending them ricocheting back into the enemy ranks. The officers moved with precision, using their SWAT tactics to their advantage, pressing forward despite the overwhelming odds.A massive gamma trooper charged at Marr, wielding an energy baton crackling with power. Marr stepped aside gracefully, ducking beneath a powerful swing and driving his lightsaber through the trooper's chest. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the trooper's body crashing into his allies using the Force, clearing a path toward their objective.
"The energy core should just be ahead!" Sergeant Palmer shouted, pointing down the corridor where the ship's reactor pulsed with a sickly green glow. "We set the charges, get out, and meet up at the command centre!" Marr nodded. "You know what to do. Move!" As the officers fanned out and began setting the explosives around the chamber, Marr reached out with the Force, sensing the Leader's presence growing more agitated. Time was running out.
Back in the town, Icon clashed with the Abomination, his mechanical frame moving with a speed and precision that rivalled any organic warrior. His transformation into the ancient Sith Lord brought a sense of dread even to the gamma-enhanced beast before him. Their battle raged through the ruined streets, every swing of Icon's lightsaber met with a counterstrike from Abomination's monstrous fists.
Each strike the droid landed seemed futile, as Abomination's gamma-infused body healed almost instantly. "You fight well for a tin can," Abomination sneered, swatting aside a thrown lightsaber with his thick forearm. "But you lack the killer instinct. That's why you'll lose." Icon processed the words even as he continued his relentless assault. It was true—he was not programmed for ruthless destruction, only efficiency. But within his databanks, hidden subroutines surfaced, calculations running at incredible speeds.
"Accessing: Sith Combat Protocols," Icon declared, his voice deepening with an eerie mechanical resonance. The air around him crackled as he extended a metal hand, the Force—or at least its artificial mimicry—twisting the environment around him as he hurled a barrage of shattered debris at Abomination. Metal beams, abandoned vehicles, and shattered concrete pummeled the brute, momentarily slowing him.
"Your lackys made the mistake of challenging my power!" Icon hissed out, "Surely you are not so foolish enough to make the same mistake!" Abomination roared in frustration, charging forward, but Icon met his fury with a burst of blue lightning. The energy arced through the monster's massive frame, causing him to tremble but not fall. "Is that all you've got?" Abomination taunted, stepping through the onslaught with an almost amused expression.
"That tickles." Icon's processors calculated the required energy output to breach the gamma creature's defences. The answer was simple: more power. He clenched his fists, blue lightning surging around him as he increased the intensity, focusing everything he had into a devastating torrent of Sith energy. The ground cracked beneath him, the sheer force of the attack causing the very air to hum with power.
Inside the Leader's command centre, frustration boiled into fury. The massive holographic display showed his ship being infiltrated, his forces overwhelmed, and now, one of his greatest creations locked in battle with something utterly bizarre. "This is impossible!" the Leader snarled, slamming his fists on the console. "Who dares to challenge my supremacy?!"
From the containment cells, the Hulk and his Agents of S.M.A.S.H. watched the meltdown with amusement. "Oh, this is priceless," A-Bomb chuckled. "You know you're losing when you start screaming at a screen.", "Sheesh," She-Hulk smirked. "Who's got the popcorn?" The Leader whirled toward them, eyes burning with rage. "You may laugh now, but soon you will beg for mercy!" "Yeah, yeah," Hulk grinned. "You say that every time. And every time, someone comes to stop you." He leaned forward, his massive fists slammed against his containment shield. "The real question is… who's coming this time?
"As if on cue, the reinforced doors of the command centre hissed as they were sliced open in a perfect circular motion. Quickly, the Leader pressed a button on his console and a second set of doors colsed over. "That should hold them, that door is reinforced so not even you Hulks could...", He was immediately cut off as the air filled with the scent of scorched metal before the doors groaned and fell inward, revealing Marr, his lightsaber glowing like a beacon in the dim chamber.
"You wanna repeat that? Chuckled Red Hulk.
Behind Marr, the VVPD officers stormed in, securing the room with practised efficiency. The Leader took a step back, stunned. "Who… what are you?" Marr stepped forward, his expression calm yet firm. "Just a friend." Before the Leader could react, Marr swung his blade toward a large emitter in the room's centre— the jammer disrupting the VVPD's weapon systems. Sparks flew as the device split in half, immediately restoring the police force's targeting accuracy. The Leader's rage contorted into something unreadable—fear? Confusion? He had accounted for the Hulk, his allies, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. But this ... man? This was something new.
Now regaining full access to their advanced weaponry, the VVPD began pushing back the remaining gamma troopers, shifting the battle in their favor. The tide had turned. Over at Icon's battle with Abomination, the droid continues to unleash torrents of Force lightning, crackling energy illuminating the battlefield as the gamma-powered brute trudges forward, undeterred. The charred flesh on Abomination's body quickly regenerates, his healing factor rendering Icon's attacks increasingly ineffective. The droid strains, increasing the energy output to its maximum limit, but even this fails to halt Abomination's advance.
Finally, Icon's systems overload, the holographic projection of Darth Malak flickers before vanishing entirely. Drained, Icon collapses to his knees, servos whirring weakly. Abomination, now heavily burnt but still standing, grins wickedly as he seizes the droid by the leg and hoists him into the air.
"You're just a machine," Abomination sneers, shaking Icon like a ragdoll. "No challenge, no real power. Just metal and circuits pretending to be something more."
But Icon has one last trick. From a hidden compartment in his chassis, he swiftly deploys an extra lightsaber, igniting its blade in a brilliant flash of energy. With a precise strike, he severs Abomination's forearm at the elbow. The monstrous foe bellows in agony, dropping Icon as he clutches his stump.
Icon, severely weakened, struggles to crawl away, his systems struggling to stay online. Yet Abomination recovers quickly, his rage boiling over as he raises his remaining arm to crush the droid beneath his fist.
Before he can strike, a burst of gunfire and a sharp whistle cut through the chaos. "Hey, ugly!"
A well-aimed shield slams into Abomination's chest, sending him stumbling backward. Icon glances up in time to see Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye arrive with a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.
"You picked the wrong fight," Captain America says, stepping between Abomination and the downed droid.
Back aboard the Leader's ship, alarms blare as reports flood in about the arrival of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Marr turns to the cowering Leader, his expression unwavering. "Call off your forces," he orders.
The Leader, faced with no other option, shakily complies, transmitting the retreat order. Sergeant Palmer watches as his officers work to free the captured Hulks, their energy-drained forms regaining strength slowly. With the enemy forces disarmed and the Leader taken into custody, Marr leads the group back to the Outbounder. Hulk, now freed, eyes the Jedi with curiosity.
"Not to sound ungrateful or anything?" he asks, "But who excatly are you?" Marr looked up towards the massive behemoth of a man, "Like I said, I'm just a friend." He answered, "The people of this settelment needed help and I offered my assistance."
"Well, I'm greatful that you did", Hulk said while giving Marr a pat on the back, that nearly knocked him off his feet. "Not many people whould make that choice." Marr offers a small smile. "Jedi don't get to choose who needs their help."
Hulk raises an eyebrow. "Never heard of a Jedi before." Marr chuckles. "Then maybe we should sit down for a celebratory meal when we get back. I must admit, I'm interested in learning more of your world"
"Hey, wait a minute!", Red Hulk blurted out. "Are you that alien that those S.W.O.R.D. dames are looking for." Marr looked over to the red goliath. "Indeed I am." She-Hulk called over to the Jedi. "Well, your alright in our books."
As they arrived back at the ship, the rest of the VVPD officers were waiting for them. As the rescued prisoners squeezed aboard the Outbounder, Red Hulk grumbles about the tight quarters, while Skarr and A-Bomb take up a corner to themselves. She-Hulk makes her way inside the cockpit, only to find sargent Palmer and a strange robot occupying the controls. "That robot flies the ship?" She-Hulk questioned. "It's best not to question it", the officer sheepishly admits. Once the ship took off and they reach a safe distance from the Leader's vessel, Marr produces the detonator for the explosives planted earlier. He holds it out to Red Hulk with a knowing look.
"Care to do the honors?" Marr offers.
Red Hulk's face splits into a wide grin as he eagerly takes the detonator. With a dramatic press of the button, the charges detonate in a fiery explosion, tearing through the Leader's warship. The team watches as the vessel erupts in flames, signaling the end of the battle. With victory secured, the Outbounder sets course for a well-earned respite, its occupants sharing a rare moment of triumph in the ever-escalating war against evil.