First Battle Of Many
Chapter Four
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Hulk cradled Jolteon in his palm as he jumped from rock face to rock face, grunting with each landing before jumping again. From a memory of Banner's, Hulk thought of a perfect place to get help for Sampson. The man was still groaning once in a while from his spot thrown over Hulk's shoulder, twitching in pain as the gamma radiation continued to spread through his body, seeping into his muscles and changing him.
Hulk landed before the diner, just a few miles away from Las Vegas and opened his hand to let Jolteon jump down. Jolteon landed on the desert floor and shook her fur clean of dust, dirt and any remaining gamma smoke. After seeing that his pet was okay, Hulk turned his attention back to Sampson.
Hulk growled and walked up to the small door of the diner before shouldering his way inside. Jolteon followed on his heels, ears lowering as the terrified screams of the diner's rung in her ears and stepped over the chunks of diner that Hulk broke. Hulk ignored the fleeing humans and gently laid Sampson on the bar. The woman behind the bar didn't scream as the Hulk approached but she was clearly terrified.
"Get chicken soup." Hulk ordered. He remembered from Banner that this human woman offered him chicken soup when he was feeling tired the last time he was here. The woman nodded and Hulk nodded his thanks. "Take care of him." The sound of screaming brought his attention to the t.v above his head.
Hulk narrowed his eyes as he took in the screaming and explosions that were broadcasting from a news station.
"Huh.." Hulk growled. Jolteon moved around him and put her attention on the TV. A blonde man was fighting a long black-haired man and was losing, badly. The blonde haired man was thrown aside and into the water. He didn't resurface.
"What do you want?" Hulk asked. Jolteon broke away from the TV and looked up at the Hulk, head cocked. Was he talking to her? He wasn't talking down at her but facing towards a window, eyes narrowed down at an empty bench.
He was silent for several moments before growling.
"Funny." Hulk snapped, "I don't remember Thor ever coming to save me." Jolteon's eyes widened when a memory flashed across her mind. She remembered a night when Bruce first caught mention of Thor, a god from another planet. He stayed up the entire night to read up on the god. Jolteon thought it was entirely boring and snoozed throughout most of it.
Hulk growled and shook his head. "If I do this, then you do something for me." Jolteon finally figured out who Hulk was talking to, Bruce. More like arguing then talking.
"I stay!" Hulk shouted. "I stay the Hulk, not Banner." Jolteon chirped in concern as she waited out Bruce's answer. Hulk suddenly grinned.
"Pet." Hulk said, turning his attention down at Jolteon. Jolteon cocked her head and chirped. "We have smashing to do." Jolteon crouched down and growled.
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Jolteon looked out from between Hulk's fingers as they moved closer to the buzzing city. This was her first time in a town that was so populated but she could see the damaged that was already done to it. Large craters and broken buildings littered the area. Jolteon could see where they were headed, towards the outer part of the city where she could hear explosions and screaming still happening.
"Pet ready?" Hulk asked as he landed a few miles away from the battle. Jolteon nodded. Before them, the large black haired man was bellowing, arms raised with chunks of cement swirling around him. Jolteon could feel the angry power streaming from this guy.
"I'm the strongest one there is!" The man shouted, eyes glowing. Hulk grinned and with one last jump, landed on the building before the long black haired man. The structure crumbled under his weight, the cement shattering under his feet. Jolteon wiggled out of Hulk's hand as the Hulk started to taunt the man. With a roar, Hulk jumped at the man, fists hitting his chest and propelling them away from the city to prevent further destruction and lose of life.
Jolteon looked down when she heard a groaning coming for below. She looked down and saw a auburn haired female wearing a black and yellow suit on her back in a small crater
"Jolt." Jolteon started to scale down the building, nails digging in and and holding her up from falling. She landed on the demolished road and trotted over to check on the woman. The woman sat up and cradled her head in her hand.
"Did someone get the license plate of the truck that hit me?" She groaned. Jolteon padded up to her and nudged the woman's free hand. The woman yelped and opened her eyes. Jolteon cocked her head and chirped in concern. The woman was silent for a second before squealing.
"Aren't you the cutest thing ever!" The woman shrieked before wrapping her arms around Jolteon's neck and squeezing. Jolteon grunted as her breath left her lungs and tried to get more air in.
"Now is not the time for that Wasp!" A voice yelled to the left of them. Wasp let go of Jolteon and the mammal stumbled back, shaking her fur back into place. She looked over and up. A very tall human was picking himself up from his own crater. He was dressed in a red suit with black boots and a helmet with antennas on his head.
"You okay Hank!?" Wasp shouted up. Hank nodded
"I'm fine." Hank answered. Wasp stood up and Jolteon watched in amazement as she shrunk to the size of a human hand and grew yellow wings. Wasp flew up until she reached Hank's head and followed after the giant man as he started to make his way towards the ongoing battle.
Jolteon instantly followed after the pair, having to run to stay behind the man and even then, she was getting left behind. Jolteon moved around cars and craters, sidestepping downed power lines and hopping over cement and rocks. "Is that who I think it is?" Jolteon heard Wasp yell. Jolteon looked up and followed their line of vision. Hulk roared and jumped back at the man, arms out in a grab.
"Is that the Hulk?" Hank asked, wide eyed. Wasp shrugged.
"Isn't he supposed to be, you know, the bad guy?" She asked back. They turned back to the battle when Hulk roared in pain as the bad guy forced him down into the ground, seeming to do it with no effort.
"Take Gravaton down!" A blur of red and gold flew over Jolteon. Her eyes focused on the blur and she could make out that it was a robot, or what looked like a robot, in the shape of a human. Hank and Wasp followed the order and moved towards Gravaton. Hank picked up his speed before he was running at the man, hands fisted together. Wasp flew out in front of him, her fists glowing with a yellow energy before she released the energy in four short bursts.
"Ah!" Gravaton yelled, throwing his hands out to shield his face. Wasp yelped as she plummeted to the ground, followed by Hank. The man robot was quick to follow, followed by Thor.
"Look at you fools! You think you can take me? I'm all powerful! I control gravity itself, I am all power!" Gravaton yelled.
Jolteon hissed her anger as her master was forced deeper into the earth. She crept along the destroyed cement, using them as cover as Gravaton continued to yell out his triumph to all that would listen. Jolteon leapt up onto a cement block before the metal robot man and crouched down, growling loudly to draw Gravaton's attention. He turned and eyed the fox like creature.
"Sending in your hounds now Fury!?" He shouted loudly. Jolteon snarled as negative energy started to gather in her fur until electricity surrounded her body and crackled out, traveling up Gravaton's body and wrapping around him like a net.
"What is this!?" Gravaton yelled, trying to move his body. He yelled out in pain as his skin made contact with the electricity. His anger sizzled within him until it exploded. Shipping containers, cement and dirt started to fly around them, encircling Gravaton. "No!" He yelled, summoning his powers. Jolteon's electric energy webbing was shattered with the force of Gravaton power.
Jolteon yelped as she was slammed into the ground as the gravity around her tripled. She couldn't move her muscles because they felt three times heavier then normal. She whimpered her distress, pawing the ground pitifully.
Gravaton flew into the air and used his powers to create a tornado of debris.
"Can't move... can you?" The metal man asked Thor behind him.
"Nay.." Thor answered, "The others?" On the other side of the Hulk crater was Hank and Wasp, groaning as they tried to make their bodies stand. Jolteon closed her eyes and just concentrated on making her lungs go up and down, taking in air. That was all she could do.
Jolteon opened her eyes when the sound of heavy footsteps sounded from in front of her. Hulk was heaving himself up out of his crater, teeth grinding and hands fisted. His eyes were focused on Gravaton. Gravaton looked down and snarled, with a push of his hands, the gravity around Hulk intensified.
Hulk yelled in anger as he was forced back down.
"You fools!" Gravaton yelled and made his tornado bigger, taking in more metal shipping containers and cement. Jolteon yelped as a cement sheet flew passed her body, clipping her and bringing her onto her side. She wanted to curl up but the gravity held her down. Hulk roared as he heard his pet cry out in pain and with that, stood back up.
Gravaton looked down, his mouth opening in disbelief. "Nothing is that powerful." He muttered. He held his hand out and pushed gravity down on Hulk. Hulk growled and took a step up towards Gravaton. Gravaton gritted his teeth in response and flew up higher. He stopped the twister with a spread of his arms. He shouted and threw his arms down, throwing down the dozens of shipping containers down at Hulk.
Hulk growled and tossed the first ones aside with his arms before one got through and barreled right into him. With the first container holding Hulk down, they started to pile up.
"Jolt!" Jolteon cried as she watched this. She grunted as she tried to stand again. Her muscles protesting with each movement. All of a sudden, with Gravaton's cry of surprise, the gravity went back to normal. Hulk took his chance. He roared as he jumped through the containers and grabbed Gravaton in his arms, sending them both crashing into the ground.
Jolteon jumped to her feet with a spark of electricity, a snarl of annoyance and pain leaving her muzzle. She looked up and saw Hulk being tossed up into the air by Gravaton before he started to send my shipping containers towards Hulk. The metal man, Thor, Hank and Wasp flew passed Jolteon towards the fight.
"Get him!" The metal man yelled. Jolteon crouched down before bolting forwards, leaving a trail of electric paw prints behind her. She looked up to see metal man stop in mid air as he sent blasts of light blue energy bolts towards Gravaton. Jolteon jumped up to a shipping container that Gravaton hadn't grabbed and joined the metal man, throwing small balls of electricity at Gravaton to distract him from Hulk. Jolteon's electric waves combined with metal man's blasts but none of them seemed to connect with Gravaton but Hulk didn't need help.
With a roar, he slammed into Gravaton and hurled them towards the ground. Hulk roared and pummeled Gravaton into the ground. Another crater started to form under them.
"AH!" Gravaton pushed the earth up in a pillar to get Hulk away from him. Jolteon crouched down to stabilize herself as the ground shook with the force. Wasp flew in close, her hands glowing with a yellow light.
"Take this!" She yelled as she sent small yellow electric balls into Gravaton's face. "And this!" Wasp glanced up to see metal man above her. She flew to the side as metal man's chest light lit up and sent a beam of energy down at Gravaton. Gravaton was forced onto his knees with a cry of pain and anger. Jolteon stared down at the crater with narrowed eyes as Gravaton staggered back up, his eyes glowing blue. She flinched back as a large ocean vessel was suddenly thrown from above and landed on top of Gravaton and exploded.
Jolteon closed her eyes and looked away as the explosion caused a wave of dust and dirt. The sky darkened above them as electricity streaked across the sky and thunder boomed above.
"For Midgard!" Thor bellowed. Jolteon looked up to see Thor direct a solid beam of lightening down from the sky. Jolteon screeched in surprise as she was snatched up from her container and into the air as the lightening struck Gravaton. The area around him exploding with the force. If she had stayed there, she would have been killed from the force of the blast.
"I got you." The metal man said to her. Jolteon glanced up to see metal man's face plate looking down at her. "Can't have Hulk's pet getting killed now, can we?" Jolteon looked back down to see the Gravaton fall to his knees and stay down. Metal man flew down and landed before Hulk, opening his arms to let her down. She hopped down but moved closer to metal man as Thor touched down beside her. Wasp buzzed around her before stopping at Thor's shoulder with a grin.
"Who's strongest now?" Hulk taunted from behind them. Hank, who was still giant moved on closer.
"You had the power to do anything," He said down at Gravaton with narrowed eyes. With a hum of energy, Hank was enveloped with a blue light and shrunk. Jolteon was in wonder when Hank shrunk to the size of a normal human.
"And you used it to put millions of lives at risk." Wasp flew over to Hank and hover over his shoulder.
"Pretty sad." Wasp added. Jolteon narrowed her eyes and sent a zap of electricity at Gravaton, a small payback for the bruise beginning to show on her side. He gasped as it struck his chest before toppling over. Hulk chuckled his approval at her actions.
"Come! Let us celebrate!" Thor cried, his arms opened to gather metal man, Hulk and Hank into a hug. Jolteon stepped back, not wanting to get squashed by Thor. Her ears perked up when, over the sound of Thor's voice, she picked up the hum of a helicopter.
She turned her head and loudly hissed a warning to Hulk.
"Freeze!" Numerous helicopters, tanks and missile machines were pointed at them, courtesy of the Hulkbusters. Men in uniforms had guns pointed at the group.
"Step away from the Hulk!" One human ordered from the front of the army. "He's a fugitive from The Cube." Humans started to close in, armed with rocket launchers. Jolteon lowered her ears and took several steps back until she was safely tucked between Hulk's leg. Hulk growled and crouched.
"You want the Hulk, you go through me." The metal man maneuvered himself between them and the Hulkbusters, arms opened wide to protect them. "The Hulk saved us all. He's a hero." Hulk frowned in confusion.
"As sure as any of us." With that, Thor, Hank and Wasp joined metal man to stand in front of Hulk. Jolteon looked up at them in disbelief. Ever since she joined Bruce and Hulk, she had been the only one to stay at his side. Every time someone learned that Bruce was the Hulk, they turned their back on them, as if he had a plague and yet, these people, who had only known the Hulk for mere minutes, put them selves in front of him to protect him.
"Stand down!" A male voice shouted above the rumble of vehicles. "We got bigger problems then the Hulk." At his orders, the helicopters and missile vehicles turned away and the humans lowered their guns.
"74 supervillains are now on the loose." A dark skinned man moved to the front, a black eye patch covered his left eye and a short brown haired female was on his heels. "All across the country, maybe the world by now." Dozens of soldiers slid down the crater sides to apprehend Gravaton.
"How did this happen, Fury?" Metal man called out. Fury narrowed his eye.
"I don't know, but we can find out together. Come work for me. As SHIELD agents, you can make a real difference."
"No!" Hank snapped as he started towards Fury. "This is your fault, isn't it? SHIELD created Gravaton. Whatever you had Hall doing, it changed him." Hank stopped before Fury and pointed at him.
"You kept it under wraps, and this happened." Hank finished. Metal man nodded with a hum.
"Fury's right." He said. All the others looked up at him with open disbelief.
"What?" Wasp gasped, "You of all people going to work for SHIELD?"
"No. he's right about us making a difference together. One-on-one we can each take down a villain or two, but 74.. none of us can do it alone." Metal man looked at each of them, "Together we have a chance. What we did here, it can change things."
"The world needs us, but not as SHIELD agents. As a team on our own." He walked up before them as he spoke, "Together we can avenge the wrongs caused by all these villains."
"We can be avengers." Wasp commented.
"Huh, good name." Hulk grunted. Jolteon looked up at them and purred in agreement.