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"Hi there!"
Marcus smiled at the massive green figure before him, genuinely curious about the legendary Hulk. The creature fascinated him from a scientific perspective—its power violated fundamental laws of physics.
The angrier Hulk got, the stronger he became. Theoretically infinite strength drawn from pure emotion. It was like the Marvel universe's version of DC's emotional spectrum powers, except focused entirely inward. In some timelines, Hulk had grown strong enough to shatter planets, to literally tear Thanos apart with his bare hands.
All from anger. It shouldn't be possible, yet here stood living proof.
"HULK!" the green giant responded, and Marcus understood perfectly.
Through his telekinetic abilities, Marcus could sense surface thoughts and emotions—a form of rudimentary telepathy. Hulk wasn't speaking English, but Marcus caught the meaning: a greeting, tinged with curiosity and... relief?
Hulk saw something different in Marcus's eyes. Not fear. Not disgust. Not the look people gave monsters. Just acknowledgment, one being to another. For a creature constantly rejected, even by Banner himself, that simple acceptance meant something.
The moment shattered as Abomination roared from thirty feet away.
"HULK!"
The yellow-brown monster charged, furious at being ignored. How dare some random human sit there chatting while he—the ultimate warrior—stood right there?
"Hulk!" The green giant gestured urgently at Marcus. "Go! Run!"
Marcus caught the concern in that primitive communication. Hulk actually cared about his safety. Interesting.
But Marcus didn't move, just adjusted his rearview mirror for a better view.
Hulk grabbed a destroyed police cruiser, tearing it in half with a metallic shriek. As Abomination closed the distance, Hulk used the car halves like massive clubs.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The impacts drove Abomination to his knees. Hulk pressed his advantage, raining down blows that would have pulverized concrete. But Abomination's hide was tougher than any normal matter. The beating annoyed him more than hurt him.
With a snarl, Abomination brought both feet up and kicked Hulk square in the chest.
The impact launched Hulk like a cannonball. He flew backward fifty feet, crashed through an office building's facade, plowed through cubicles and conference rooms, and exploded out the opposite side onto the parallel street.
Abomination rose, but instead of pursuing Hulk, he turned toward Marcus's Audi.
"Little man," the monster growled, each word like grinding stone. "You've got balls, I'll give you that. Or are you just too stupid to be afraid?"
Marcus studied the creature with the same calm interest he'd shown Hulk. Eight and a half feet of twisted muscle and protruding bone, built for nothing but destruction. Emil Blonsky had sacrificed his humanity for this power, and for what? To become an uglier, weaker version of what Hulk was naturally?
Marcus slowly raised his middle finger.
"Fool."
Abomination's eyes bulged with rage. "YOU DIE!"
He raised both fists, ready to smash the car and its occupant into paste—
A missile streaked from the sky, slamming into Abomination's back. The explosion enveloped him in orange fire, the concussion shattering every window on the block. The monster staggered forward, more surprised than hurt.
"WHO DARES—"
"Hey there, Ugly!"
A red and gold figure descended from the night sky, repulsors glowing, hovering twenty feet above the street. Iron Man, in his Mark IV armor, sleek and deadly.
"Wow, and I thought the Green guy had anger issues," Tony's amplified voice carried clearly. "But you? You're like if a tumor gained sentience and decided to take steroids. Seriously, has anyone introduced you to the concept of moisturizer? Your skin looks like burnt cheese."
"STARK!" Abomination roared. "I'll tear you apart!"
"Yeah, good luck with that, Sunshine." Tony barrel-rolled away from a thrown mailbox. "You'll have to catch me first, and between you and me? You throw like my grandmother. And she's been dead for twenty years."
Abomination grabbed a sedan, hurling it at Iron Man with enough force to break the sound barrier. Tony's repulsors flared, pushing him aside. The car sailed past, embedding itself in a building's third floor.
"Is that seriously all you've got?" Tony taunted, flying backward, drawing Abomination away from populated areas. "Throwing things? What are you, five? Come on, show me something impressive!"
In the command helicopter above, Colonel Thaddeus Ross watched the chaos below with clenched fists. Iron Man's arrival complicated everything. Stark Industries had enough lawyers to bury his operation in legal challenges for decades if Tony decided to make this his problem.
On the ground, Marcus's phone rang. Tony's name on the display.
"Really?" Marcus answered. "You're calling me during a fight?"
"Jarvis," Tony said, dodging another projectile, "is patched through my helmet. And excuse me for checking on the friend who's sitting in a war zone like it's a drive-in movie!"
A crash in the background, followed by Tony cursing.
"Why didn't you run?" Tony continued, doing a loop to avoid Abomination's leap. "You don't have armor, Marcus. Do you have any idea how close you just came to being a pancake? If I hadn't shown up when I did—"
"Tony," Marcus interrupted calmly, "you're worrying too much. That thing isn't as dangerous as you think."
Tony glanced back at Abomination, who had just picked up a city bus one-handed.
"The monster bench-pressing public transportation begs to differ!"
Marcus could hear the genuine concern beneath Tony's snark. His friend couldn't understand why Marcus would take such a risk. In Tony's mind, Marcus was brilliant but ultimately human—vulnerable without armor.
"Just trust me," Marcus said. "I can handle myself."
"Handle yourself?" Tony pulled up sharply as Abomination hurled the bus. "Marcus, that thing has the grip strength to crumple my armor like tin foil. What exactly is your plan if it gets its hands on you? Harsh language?"
Marcus smiled, watching Tony lead Abomination on a chase through the air. "Something like that."
Tony wanted to argue more, but Abomination had found a chunk of concrete the size of a refrigerator. The Mark IV's collision warnings screamed.
"We're continuing this conversation later," Tony said, cutting the call to focus on not becoming a smear on the pavement.
Marcus set down his phone, observing the battle with interest. Tony was fighting smart, using mobility and range, but he couldn't really hurt Abomination. The monster was too durable, too strong. This would go on until someone made a mistake.
Through the chaos, he noticed the helicopter circling above. Military. Ross was up there, watching his rogue soldier tear apart Broadway. The general who'd spent years hunting Banner, now dealing with the consequences of trying to replicate what couldn't be controlled.
Tony noticed too, his HUD identifying the aircraft and its occupants. Ross, Betty, and several military personnel.
So this was Ross's mess, Tony thought, banking hard to avoid another car. The general who'd been chasing Banner for years, and now his own soldier had become an even worse monster.
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