Chapter 73 - Killing the Abomination
Harlem, New York.
2011.
The Abomination's kick sent me crashing into the first floor of a nearby building. As I rise from what appears to be a living room, I notice a woman embracing two children on the other side of the room. She sits with her back against the wall, the three of them trembling in fear, the children crying softly, muffled by the mother's hand over their mouths.
(This fight has gone too far.)
I offer them a reassuring smile before heading towards the hole I created with my fall. Below, I witness the Abomination relentlessly pummeling the Hulk, driving him further away from the crashed helicopter. Thankfully, due to my actions, the helicopter wasn't severely damaged and didn't explode. The people inside it also showed wisdom by staying put.
The brawl was turning into a one-sided beatdown, as the Hulk's sole objective was to save his girlfriend, and the Abomination knew it, taking advantage of the situation. He pins Hulk against a wall and drives the bone protruding from his elbow into Hulk's chest, eliciting cries of pain. Hulk attempts to push the Abomination away with punches and knee strikes, but to little avail.
I leap down and land on the helicopter's rear, tearing off the tail rotor blade and sprinting towards the two monsters. The Abomination seems oblivious to my presence, reveling in the pain he's inflicting upon the Hulk.
"After I kill you, I'll have some fun with your little girlfriend," he taunts.
A terrible mistake to enrage the already furious Hulk, whose anger seems to fuel his strength. He grabs the Abomination's arm and begins to pull it away from his body, I strike anomination with the rotor blade, piercing his chest. His enhanced vitality from the experiments ensures that he won't die from this alone.
He falls to his knees, clutching the rotor blade embedded in his chest. The enraged Hulk pays no heed to his injuries and rains down a storm of blows, pinning him to the ground. Finally, he raises his hands to the sky and declares, "HULK SMASH!"
The deafening impact reverberates through the surroundings, shattering everything nearby. As the dust settles, I see Hulk holding the unconscious Abomination by the neck, ready to deliver the final blow.
"NO!"
The cry of a woman behind us catches my attention. I turn and see a woman in military fatigues, undoubtedly Bruce Banner's girlfriend, Elizabeth Ross.
Her mere presence seems to quell Hulk's rage, prompting him to release the Abomination's body to the ground.
(A grave error.)
Other soldiers appear behind Betty. One of them, who stands beside her, is older. His face is filled with anger as he looks at the body on the ground. Hulk kicks the Abomination's body, sending it flying and landing right in front of what I believe to be Betty's father, General Thaddeus Ross.
(The reason for all this chaos.)
Hulk begins to walk towards Betty, but stops when he realizes that a crowd of police officers and firefighters has formed around us. Everyone looks scared, even though they've seen this green monster fighting to stop what was causing so much destruction. That fear hasn't diminished.
Just as Hulk is about to flee, a change occurs that freezes him in place. The Abomination's massive hand grabs Betty's small body.
"Hahaha, I wonder what will happen if I squeeze your girlfriend in front of you. Maybe you'll lose control and join me in destroying this entire city."
The Abomination rises, and all the nearby soldiers point their guns at him.
"Don't shoot!" Betty's father shouts.
The monster holds Betty by the waist, and she tries desperately to free herself. In my calculations, she's only seconds away from having her spine broken and her internal organs destroyed. The Abomination doesn't want her to die quickly, and that's his mistake.
(I have enough time.)
I already had my hand extended when I dashed as fast as I could towards him. My spear, which was inside my jet, comes to my hand when I'm inches away from the Abomination. With one strike, I sever his arm, causing Betty to fall to the ground. The second strike aims for his neck, and his head falls from his body, killing the Abomination.
Everything happened in a second. Nobody here can see clearly what happened until it was over. The Abomination's massive body stood for a few seconds before falling forward, and from his neck, a large amount of disgusting green blood gushed out. Everyone nearby stared at me, except the general, who ran to check on his daughter.
After freeing Betty from the Abomination's severed hand, the general shouted for a doctor. I approached, ignoring the general's presence, and placed my hand on her chest, accelerating her regeneration to remove her from danger.
"She'll be fine, but you have to leave now."
My words were directed at Hulk, who stood still, looking at his girlfriend's body. After that, he seemed to awaken. He nodded at me and leaped from one building to another, disappearing from our sight.
(There are loose ends to tie up.)
I turned back to the Abomination's body and touched it with the tip of my spear. A golden flame appeared and, in less than a second, covered the entire gigantic body of the monster. I did the same with the severed head.
"What are you doing!? He belongs to the United States of America!"
General Ross shouts at me and tries to approach the flaming body, but due to the temperature of the flames, he can't get close.
"Stop this now, I'm ordering you! If you don't stop, you'll face the full force of the American government for this action."
The golden flames increase in strength as if they understand my mood. I approach the general, who remains steadfastly staring at me. The Abomination's body is perfect material for studies and could help Americans finally succeed in recreating the super soldier serum. That's why he's so desperate to stop me from destroying the body.
"I don't care about being threatened by enemies. Why would a lion care about threats from ants? But I'm really starting to lose patience with being threatened by you. Let me show you something!"
Shocked by my words, I grab him by the neck and lift him, then jump to the roof of a nearby house.
"Fire!"
The soldiers below us don't have time to react and shoot upwards, but completely unsuccessfully. When we land on the roof, I drag the general to the edge where he can have a good view of the destruction of Harlem.
"Look. All of this is the result of your arrogance and stupidity."
I force him to kneel to get a better view of the entire neighborhood engulfed in flames, with several people still running desperately, perhaps trying to find their relatives. Many houses and cars are destroyed or ablaze, giving the entire street an apocalyptic look.
General Ross remains silent, looking at the destruction, and I see regret on his face. Perhaps he has awakened from his foolishness now.
"I spare your life only out of pity for your daughter, but next time, be aware of whom you're threatening. He may not be as merciful as I am."
I release him and leave him on the rooftop facing his handiwork, the monster's body has turned to dust, preventing the creation of another like him. With everything finished, I return to my ship, but as I'm about to leave for Genosha, I remember something.
"Wait, Alice. I want to try something."
The ship hovers above the city's clouds, and despite the clouds, I can still see the lights of the burning fires. The rear doors of the ship open, and I face the clouds, focusing my magical energy. My fingers begin to glow as I draw a golden rune in the air. It's the same rune I recently learned while studying Thor's hammer, Haglaz. It has the power to alter time. This is one of the few times I've used a rune without it being a tattoo on my body, I hope the effect won't be altered.
Seconds later, the rune floating in the air disappears, and the clouds above the city start to change. They turn black and heavy, and then it begins to rain heavily over the burning city. The rain should help the firefighters extinguish the flames.
"Let's go, Alice."
POV: Third Person
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Underground
Greymalkin Lane, Salem Center, New York
At the same moment
2011
A massive door with an X on it opens, and a man in a wheelchair emerges from the room. He's wearing a gray suit and is bald. His expression is solemn and closed-off, as if he's ready to make a decision that could have serious repercussions for him and his students.
"And then?"
He addresses another man waiting outside the room, wearing a black jacket and smoking a cigar. He has sideburns and tall, unruly hair, giving him a wild animal-like appearance.
"The numbers have dwindled again, now only a few remain."
The man in the wheelchair says this with great sorrow.
"This has to end now, Charles. You've prevented us from taking action for too long, and now the situation has reached this point."
"You don't understand, Logan. This will likely be the most dangerous mission they've faced."
"They've been trained for this since childhood, and they've already completed hundreds of missions. This mission also doesn't need to be a direct combat."
Charles and Logan walk side by side down the silver corridor, discussing their next mission. Xavier has postponed it out of fear of the consequences for too long, even though he opposed it. Now his students wouldn't accept any further delay.
Finally, they reach another room, and its doors open, revealing several young people dressed casually. One of them is in front, wearing sunglasses as red as rubies.
"We're ready, Professor," says Scott Summers.
The professor once again stands still, fearing what might happen, but in the end, he loosens up and gives the order.
"Scott, let's start planning the infiltration mission to Genosha."
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