Red Goblin towered over the quartet. The mutagenic formula had altered him so radically he looked more like the love child of Abomination and Hulk than Norman Osborn.
Carol shook her head at him, "sorry champ, not gonna happen. How about you leave and I won't beat you till your green again?"
"Green? Do you think I'm related to that moronic beast, Hulk? I am a superior creature, one of greatness and pure power. You are a bug, a stupid insect that should be on her knees worshipping my brilliance," and Carol frowned
"I wouldn't get on my knees to be sick after looking at you," and Carol began to glow as the photon force flowed through her. Her time in space meant she never underestimated her opponents. A small innocent looking cat could turn out to be a huge intergalactic threat, and even if this was earth-based tech, he could still have powers she didn't know about.
"Oooh, glowy. Harry said there were others and so I have this, just for you." Goblin pulled out a sledgehammer from its back. The head glowed a deep blue colour as he powered it on, and Carol felt her powers thrum. Carol could feel the connection between whatever was powering that hammer and her own powers.
Carol now knew what happened to the Tesseract once Fury had gotten his hands on it, fucking asshole, she cursed in her mind. If Shield wanted weapons based on the energy signature the Tesseract gave off, then they needed a weapons manufacturer. Stark was too unreliable, too willing to bend and break the rules, and Hammer was too incompetent. Oscorp must have won the bidding war, and now this giant red asshole had a Tesseract powered weapon to fight with.
Carol avoided a swing as he charged at her, roaring. The hammer was unwieldy but with his giant frame, he was more than capable of swinging it. As it passed over her she saw wisps of energy pulling themselves from both her and the hammer, and they sparked when they touched. Shit, she thought, not only can I not use my powers, I need to make sure he doesn't hit me with that.
The trio had retreated into an alleyway, trying to avoid drawing more attention from the strange soldiers as Carol and Golbin fought. Covering herself with symbskin MJ began to lift trash cans and dumpsters, forming a makeshift barricade to at least hide behind. Someone as big as Goblin would have no trouble smashing his way through it but even a few seconds might be the difference between life and death.
"If only I had my hammer sister," Thor lamented looking over at Loki and MJ, he had a thought. "You, you are a Klyntar aren't you?" and MJ nodded,
"If that's the monster you keep mentioning then yes, I am, I guess," and Thor smiled,
"Good, bond with me. I'm stronger and faster than you," but MJ shook her head.
"Muse doesn't fight," and Thor laughed and looked over at Loki as if MJ had made the funniest joke ever.
"All symbiotes fight, that's what they were for. So come on, hand it over," and he motioned with his fingers, they needed as much power as possible to fight with, even if he hated the idea of bonding, he hated the idea of dying even more.
"No, she doesn't want to," and Thor shook his head.
"We don't have time for this. Bond with me, even if it's only to fight off these things, " but MJ shook her head again,
"Muse doesn't want to fight, and she certainly doesn't want to bond with you." and she took a step back, ready to fight the best she could if Thor got insistent.
"Any ideas then?" Thor said as they crouched behind the barricade, Carol was firing blasts at Goblin, who would knock them to one side with the hammer and then fire one back at her, laughing and shouting insults.
"I have some magic left," Loki said, conjuring a small ball of golden light, "but not enough to fight with, maybe an illusion of two." and Thor stared at the pair fighting.
As Thor watched Carol tussle with the red troll he felt himself at a loss, without his hammer there was no way he could defend the young woman and Loki. His father had been right and rather than it seeking out he had treated this as a holiday.
With no powers, and both MJ and Loki to protect, he was out of his depth and he wished his father was here to offer him advice. Rubbing his hands over his face he watched, helpless as Carol and Goblin fought, each one a perfect match for the other. I'm sorry friend Carol, I cannot help myself, let alone you.
There was only one thing he could do, the one thing he was most afraid of but steeling himself to the inevitable he motioned to Loki. "Sister, I have a plan" and Thor moved behind a dumpster with his sister and MJ.
Across the island Venom and the rest were slowly making their way towards the Life Incorporated Building, slowed by each stop at the soldier's checkpoints.
Unwilling to fight the newly bonded soldiers, they would take out the ones at the ATV's. Kill the barrels of symbslugs and then move on, Huntress stunning the guards before Poison did her work.
Ravage and Venom stood guard, webbing and disabling anyone who spotted the quartet and after the fifth ATV, they found the building in their sights.
"We have no idea how many of these things Harry actually has. We need something to eliminate them all, ideas?" Venom asked at the group crouched in an alley across from the entrance.
"These guys are weird. Their symbiotes aren't whole, it's basically a bug moving them about. See how stiff they are, how robotic they look? I bet there are tougher ones inside and that is what we should be worried about," Ravage said, pointing to each of the patrols as they went past.
Venom looked over the building. It was completely different from when they had chased Norman here and he figured Harry must have expected them. The front of the building is not open planned, with bushes and no trees, nothing for Veno or a symbiote to latch onto or throw. Even the gate across the front of the building seemed to be much thicker than before with slots for firing out of.
"We need to get over there without being seen." He shook his head at the newly fortified building front. Harry had expected them to sneak in and had probably trapped the only way in.
Gwen shook her head and pointed to one of the ATV's. "If Harry's expecting us, then let's crash it." and Venom grinned.
As the group made their plan, Carol had resorted to slugging it out with Goblin. Whatever was in the hammer was absorbing her photon force, and as she stuck him with a blast he absorbed it into the head of the hammer and fired it back at her. Thankfully she had an enhanced physiology as well and once the pair devolved to a fistfight, it was on equal terms.
As a brawler Goblin was stranger than Carol, his mutated body boosted by so much formula, that even as she hurt him it just healed and made him stronger. Her Kree enhanced body was tough but back in the warehouse they had been right, even she got tired and she hoped that she could last.
At least he had stopped using that damn hammer, whatever effect it had on her powers it must have been affected as well and while it was close enough for him to grab he seemed to prefer to use his fists. She ducked under a right and stuck him in the stomach, but even though he slid back several inches he just laughed.
"Little bug, even with your powers, you're no match for us, once the glow bug runs out of juice she's just meat for the beast, like the rest." but Carol responded by flying forwards and smacking a fist into his face. Even if the photon force was absorbed by the hammer, she could still use it to fly.
Goblin crossed his arms and two large blades grew from them, "like my toys? Gargoyle makes everything so pretty for me," and he swung widely, slashing huge arcs that forced Carol back and on the defensive.
Carol ducked under the wild slashes and launched herself up and over him, landing behind him and delivering a haymaker into his back. Sending him flying he ooffed as he impacted a building and snarled at her, "stupid bug, we will squash you now," and as he roared, it seemed he got even bigger.
Swords became clubs, as it was apparent that Carol was fast enough to dodge out of the way and once more Goblin swung at her. Carol shook her head, he was big, fast and strong but untrained and as she ducked under a swing, she kicked out his knee and he crumpled down. "Kill you bitch," he roared, spittle flying from his mouth and Carol shook her head not, likely, stupid oaf.
His knee popped back into place, and using a club to hoist himself up he stood staring at her. "Petty bug, We will give you some small moment of reflection before we crush you," and Carol looked at him, bemused.
"Uh, I'm winning dumbass, you haven't hit me once"
Goblin laughed, "yet," and Carol felt a touch at her feet. Looking down the symbiote part of Goblin had spread itself out over the sidewalk and was latched to her foot. As he lifted it to avoid being snared, it wrapped around her leg and whipped her into the air. Goblin dashed forwards and slammed a club into her stomach and then, as she flew up, smashed both into her once more, sending her flying into a building across the street. Taking out a large section of the wall, the ceiling and bricks rained down on her, covering her completely.
As Carol lay trapped under the brick wall of the building, a grinning and laughing Goblin advanced on the trio hiding in the alley,
"Come out little bugs, don't make me crush the whole building to get you," he sang as he started to throw the makeshift barricade into the street behind him.
MJ stood, holding her arms out in front of Thor and Loki. "It's me you want, leave them alone," and Goblin laughed,
"Little bug, you get no say in this, once we squash you we'll take their pretty heads as trophies for my Harry. A boy needs trophies you know," but MJ shook her head.
"I'll make you bleed for every step you take, agree. Me for them, agree now and I won't fight back." She asked. "Plus, once Carol gets free you'll have both of us to deal with."
Goblin tutted, "Self-sacrifice? such a poor show but we agree, you for them, run little bugs, for your new friends has saved you," and as he watched Loki grab Thor.
As he shook his head she pulled him away. "Come on, we need to leave" and Loki pulled Thor down the alley.
As Goblin laughed, and as the collapsed wall glowed brightly behind him MJ stood with her arms wide, and Goblin formed a blade from one of his huge arms and plunged it into her stomach, pinning her to the sidewalk. MJ coughed up blood, the thick red liquid stained the ground around her and as Goblin laughed he lifted her up and slammed her back down into the ground.
"Stupid bug, we lied, and now the rest are dead too" Goblin laughed and pulled her close. "You die for nothing."
"I would die to protect them," she shouted and grabbing both the horns on his head, she headbutted him. As the Goblin stumbled backwards, stunned by the surprise attack, MJ landed on the pavement as the Goblin's blade slid free. She fell to one knee and wincing in pain she righted herself, holding her stomach with one hand.
"I would die on any day so that others may be free from monsters like you." MJ stood straight and seemed to grow taller,
"but that day is not today."