"ROOOOAR!"
The tank shells had done nothing to injure the Great Ape, but they had certainly succeeded in infuriating it. The beast pivoted its massive frame, no longer content with its slow, northward march.
With a burst of speed that defied its colossal size, it charged toward the ridge where the tank battalion was stationed.
"All tanks, secondary fire mission! Deploy the Sonic Cannons! Special Ops, move in for containment! I want two bombers on station immediately with missile support—now!"
General Ross felt a cold pit opening in his stomach. This wasn't just some lab-grown gorilla; the data was becoming clear. This creature was something else entirely.
The Great Ape's running speed was terrifying. Two kilometers was crossed in a matter of heartbeats—a few earth-shattering leaps and it was upon them.
*CRUNCH!*
Before the main battle tanks could even lock on for a second volley, the Great Ape descended from the sky. Its massive feet pulverized two tanks instantly, flattening them into scrap metal like soda cans.
With a roar that shook the very air, the Great Ape clasped its hands together and brought them down in a twin-fisted hammer strike.
The impact didn't just wreck two more tanks; it detonated the entire hilltop. The ridge collapsed, burying the remaining vehicles under tons of rock and dirt. Not satisfied, the Great Ape began a frantic, rhythmic pounding of the earth, systematically obliterating the battalion until only silence and smoke remained.
Only then did the specialized Sonic Cannon units—Ross's "Hulk-stoppers"—arrive. They immediately unleashed a high-frequency acoustic barrage, the invisible waves designed to paralyze a target's motor functions and rupture internal organs. Against a normal human, a single pulse would liquefy their insides.
Against the Oozaru, it was merely an annoyance. It didn't stop the beast; it only stoked its rage.
The Great Ape unhinged its jaw. The white-hot "Mouth Cannon" flared to life once more.
A pillar of pure energy screamed across the desert. As the Great Ape turned its head, the beam swept the perimeter like a scythe of God.
The Sonic Cannons, the support vehicles, and the Special Ops teams preparing high-tech traps were vaporized instantly. The energy carved a deep, circular trench into the earth, a glowing ring of molten glass marking the site of their total defeat.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Two bombers roared overhead, dropping several AGM-86 cruise missiles. The Great Ape vanished in a towering inferno of orange and black.
But out of the heart of the flames, another energy blast erupted. The bombers didn't even have time for a second pass; they were struck mid-air and vanished from the sky in twin blossoms of fire.
As the smoke cleared, the Great Ape stood untouched amidst the fire, howling at the moon.
"Strong... he's just too strong!"
Lurking in the distance, Logan watched the carnage, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had fought in countless wars, but he had never seen a single entity dismantle a modern military force with such casual, effortless brutality.
*Clatter.*
Ten miles away in the mobile command center, General Ross stared at the static on his screens. The radio receiver slipped from his numb fingers and hit the floor.
"Fuck! Which idiot cooked this thing up? I'm going to shove his head so far up his own ass he'll be able to see his teeth!"
...
High above the clouds, a cloaked Quinjet hovered silently.
Inside, Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanged a grim look. Without a word, Widow pressed the direct line to the Director.
"Director, we have a catastrophic situation."
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, The Triskelion.
Nick Fury shot up from his chair the moment the video feed from Hawkeye hit his terminal. He reflexively reached for the specialized pager kept hidden in his inner pocket. He took a deep breath, his knuckles white.
'Not yet,' he thought. 'It hasn't come to that. Not yet.'
The threat was immense, but the Great Ape was still over a hundred miles from Alamogordo. It was currently stomping through the same desolate desert where the first atomic bomb had been tested. The isolation worked in their favor—they could use weapons here that were strictly forbidden in populated zones.
Before he could formulate a response, his phone buzzed. He checked the caller ID and immediately answered.
"Nick, come to my office."
"Is the World Security Council looking for a scapegoat again?" Fury quipped, though his voice lacked its usual bite. He left his office and headed for the secure elevator.
The caller was Alexander Pierce—former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., current Secretary of the World Security Council, and Fury's oldest ally. Pierce was the buffer between Fury and the international leaders who funded the agency, often the one securing the billions needed to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. operational.
"You know how it is, Nick. A giant ape is currently eating General Ross's career. They want answers," Pierce's voice sounded weary over the line.
"I'm on my way."
Fury stepped into the Council floor and walked into the Secretary's office. Pierce stood up and offered a warm, firm hug. "You really don't visit unless I call, do you?"
"I'll come up voluntarily when World War III starts, or when I run out of money," Fury joked.
Pierce chuckled, but his face quickly turned serious. "The Council is furious. Watch your tone with them, Nick. Don't make it harder than it has to be."
"I know the drill. I'll try not to let their incompetence get to me."
Pierce pressed a button on his desk. Holographic projections of the Council members flickered into existence around the room.
"Director Fury," one of the members began, his voice cold. "I want to know what that mutated primate is and where it came from."
Fury shook his head. "We're still investigating. Preliminary data suggests it's the result of unauthorized biological experimentation."
"Investigating? You mean you have no idea?" another member barked, slamming his hand on a table in London. "We pour billions into S.H.I.E.L.D. so you can neutralize threats *before* they level a battalion. And you tell us you're 'investigating'?"
"Perhaps if you didn't spend half your time restricting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s oversight and jurisdiction," Fury countered with a sneer, "my agents would have put the scientist who made that thing in a cage months ago."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was created to handle crises, not to rule the world!" the Council member retorted. "You are under our supervision for a reason. If you don't want us watching you, stop asking for our money and our permission to operate on foreign soil."
Fury opened his mouth to fire back, but Pierce placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
Fury took a breath, forcing his temper down. "I will handle the primate. Furthermore, to address threats of this magnitude in the future, I have already drafted a specialized response protocol. It's the proposal I'm about to submit to you: The Avengers Initiative."