The sound of fighting roused Ian from his slumber. The Hulk had knocked him unconscious.
He groaned, rising from the deep hole in the ground with blood running down the side of his face.
" What the hell is going on?" Ian asked someone, anyone.
" I'd like to ask the same thing, my friend. Not even a full month and you're already in the shit again." Jamie joked.
" Jamie? What are you doing here?" Ian asked the man.
" Not just me. Look." Jamie told the man. He pointed out onto the front lawn where the remaining mutants were all fighting the Hulk.
Wolfsbane, Siryn, Guido, Warpath, Nightcrawler, and Monet were all fighting the great beast, whole Jamie and his clones helped move the injured off the battlefield. He even helped free Emma.
" Emma, stay in human form. We need you to telepathically coordinate the battle." Kurt told the woman. " Darwin." Kurt then turned towards the man with the ability to adapt to any situation. " Have you evolved a defense against the Hulk?" Kurt asked.
" I think so.... It feels like some kind of energy draining ability." Darwin replied. He held his hands out at the Hulk and started draining the Gamma radiation from the Hulk's body. But it wasn't having any lasting effects. " Gamma Energy... But so much, and there's no end to it..." Darwin stated. " Hulk, please.... Don't fight us. We aren't your enemies. I've lost loved ones, too. I sympathize with how you feel." Darwin pleaded with the man. But this only seemed to further anger the Hulk.
" Sympathize? You sympathize?" The Hulk asked. He clapped his hands together, sending the members of X-Factor flying. " Save your sympathy for yourself." Hulk told Darwin. He then punched the man in his chest and Darwin suddenly disappeared.
" What happened to him?" Emma asked.
' His body must have reached the conclusion that the best defense against the Hulk, was to be somewhere else." Kurt told the woman.
Ian and Jamie watched as the others continued fighting, only for them both to realize one cruel fact.
" He's going to kill them all." Ian muttered.
The Hulk gets stronger the angrier he becomes, and never before had he been so angry. Never before had the heroes been so helplessly outmatched that no matter how hard they fought, they never gained a single inch of ground.
Ian's fought his fair share of life-or-death battles before. But never had they looked so one sided, that there seemed to be nothing in his mind he could do. His brain already felt as though it had been turned to mush. No doubt, he would be harboring a severe concussion for the next few days.
The Hulk, continued tearing through the members of X-Factor, eventually getting to Siryn, whom had been staggering him with her sonic screams. Unfortunately, Hulk managed to get a hold of the woman.
" Okay.... That's enough out of you." Hulk told the woman. He took her and threw her through the front door of the mansion and Siryn landed in the living room with the others who were injured.
Next up was Wolfsbane. Rahne tried clawing Hulk with her razor-sharp claws, but her hands merely scrapped off the man's skin. Hulk took his fist and punched the woman right in her chest, sending her flying through the stone gates of the Institute.
" RAHNE!" Ian jumped from his spot next to Jamie and caught the woman, before she could go any further. Ian slowly brought the woman, back to the ground and watched as she morphed back into a human. She was done, Ian knew that. The Hulk hit her hard. Probably harder than she'd ever been hit before. And in his mind Ian could truly feel that this was it, it was due or die. " Jamie, take her." Ian told the man. He walked up to the clone of Madrox and Handed Rahne over to him gently. " Get her inside with the others and don't come out."
" What about you?" Jamie asked. " You're injured too."
" I don't care. He's gone too far!" Ian told the man. His face was balled up in an expression of pure anger.
His attention taken away from survival, and finally fully devoted to the Hulk.
Though, Hulk didn't really much care.
" This is pathetic. I don't even know who most of you are." The Hulk exclaimed.
" My name's Monet. And I'm virtually invulnerable." Monet told the man as she slugged him in his chest. " Nice to meet you."
While Hulk was distracted, Warpath jumped on his back and dug his vibranium knives into the Hulk's shoulders.
" And all you need to know about me, is my knives are vibranium. And right now, they're stopping you from lifting your arms." Warpath told the man.
" I still got feet." The Hulk Exclaimed. He stomped his foot hard on the ground and shook Warpath off his back, while also knocking down Monet and Guido. " And they're all I need. Go be invulnerable in jersey." Hulk Told Monet. He kicked the woman as hard as he could in her stomach and sent her flying across the state of New York and straight into Jersey. "As for these." The Hulk spoke as he looked at Warpaths knives, which were still dug into his back. " I don't care what they're made of." He said as he popped them out of his back. " They're useless and so are you."
" Like hell!" Warpath yelled back at the man.
Guido grabbed the Hulk from behind and Warpath punched him in the face. But it didn't even bother the Hulk. He simply looked down at James and headbutted him, knocking him out quickly. He then turned around and threw a punch at Guido, who dodged it and punched him back.
" What's your deal? Stop dancing and fight like a man." Hulk told the man.
" I'll tell you my deal." Guido replied. He stopped dodging and let Hulk hit him right square in his chest. His shirt ripped and a torrent of energy surrounded his body. " I absorb kinetic energy." Guido explained. " And let it out!" He exclaimed. He smashed his fist right into the Hulk's face, stunning the brute, but also suffering a great deal of damage to his heart.
" Not bad. But it looks like it hurt you more than me though." The Hulk stated.
Guido reeled from the damage done to his heart, nearly toppling over in the process.
" Who's next?" The Hulk asked.
As soon as those words left his lips, the Hulk was quickly thrown through the stone gates of the institute and out into the road.
Ian and the hulk emerged from the rubble, pushing against each other.
Ian pushed the big man off of him and punched him in the face and then two more times in the stomach, before trying to hit him in the face again. This time, however, Hulk caught the young man's fist and headbutted him, knocking him to the ground. Ian rolled over, just in time to avoid the Hulk's foot from crushing his head and jumped back to his feet. He flew up to the Hulk and uppercutted him two times in the chin making the Hulk spin.
Hulk spun around and used his free hand to Backhand Ian away from him, knocking him once again down to the ground.
Hulk then turned his attention back to the X-Mansion, walking towards the gates again, only to be tackled away from the institute by Ian.
The Hulk landed and rolled away from Ian, before hopping back to his feet.
Ian and the Hulk then locked eyes with each other, nether willing to back down.
" Have it your way, kid." The Hulk stated. He ran at Ian and then jumped into the air.
Ian raced to meet Hulk, flying up into the air, only to be grabbed by the man and slammed back onto the ground. Hulk then drug Ian threw the ground before pulling him off his feet and uppercutting him, sending him flying crashing into the highest part of the Institute, shattering the glass windows and cracking the stones that made up the building.
Ian grunted and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs out. Ian then jumped down from the tower, flying straight towards the Hulk as fast as he could. He then raised his fist over Hulk's head and slammed it down on top of the beast, before delivering a solid series of blows to the Hulk's face. Ian then uppercutted the Hulk, knocking him back a few steps before continuing to pummel him landing blow after blow. Ian's last punch knocked Hulk's head down to the side, where Ian met his face with another strong blow. Ian then hit the Hulk with two strong gut punches, making the big man gasp for breath, before hitting him in the face again. Each blow sounded off like thunder.
" HAAAAH!" Ian shouted. He drove his fist straight into the Hulk's gut once again, this time much more powerful than before. So much so that is muscles looked like they were expanding and the veins in his arm pulsating. Ian then hit Hulk with one last uppercut, knocking the big man off his feet. If only momentarily.
The Hulk landed on his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. He then gazed over at Ian, his eyes glaring daggers at the man.
Ian smacked his teeth and flew straight at the Hulk. He planned to tackle him once more, hopping to push the man as far from the institute as he could to give the others time to evacuate. However, the Hulk did not budge as Ian had anticipated. Instead, the brute caught Ian by his waist and lifted him over his head. he then slammed Ian down on his back so hard the ground around them splintered and cracked apart. He then grabbed Ian's leg, lifted him over his head, and slammed him onto the ground face first.
Ian bounced against the hard ground, before being kicked in the face by the Hulk so hard he went, crashing into what remained of the stone wall around the front gates.
Ian didn't have time to recover, because as soon as he bounced against the stonewall the Hulk punched him in the face, pounding him into the wall over and over again, until Ian dropped to the ground limp.
The Hulk looked down at Ian and scoffed.
" Huh, that all you got?" The Hulk asked the boy.
Out of nowhere, Kurt appeared in front of the Hulk.'
" Not quite, Mein Freund." Kurt told the man. He then grabbed Ian and teleported away, just in time for Hulk to look up and see the X-Jet coming straight down at him.
The X-Jet exploded, and the Hulk was consumed by the explosion.
Kurt and Ian reappeared next to Hepzibah, Emma, and Guido.
" Do you think that did it?" Emma asked.
" I hope so.... I don't think I can port any longer. Moving a ship was.... too much." Kurt exclaimed.
" No..." Ian gasped. He shook his head. By now he was barely able to stand, let alone fight. But he knew it in his mind. That explosion was only a mere inconvenience. " I've fought monsters... Before. That only pissed him off. Look." Ian pointed to the giant flaming pile beginning to move.
[ Authors note- I offer the choice of three music selections, Hero-skillet, Oblivion-30 seconds to mars, or time of dying-three days grace.]
" Oh no." Emma exclaimed.
The Hulk emerged from the fire carrying the remaining jet over his head.
" Behind me!" Guido yelled.
Ian however, used his heat vision to blow up the last piece of the jet.
" All of you.... Go." Ian muttered. He let go of Kurt's shoulder and stumbled up to this own two feet.
" Are you crazy? You're barely standing, you can't fight this thing alone." Guido told the boy.
" Can any of you, do anything, but get in the way at this point?" Ian asked and the group remained silent. And it was true, Kurt couldn't teleport anymore, Hepzibah's claws couldn't cut the Hulk's skin enough to hurt him, Guido was close to damaging his heart badly and Emma's powers have been ineffective the whole time. " Do me a favor... Just get them to safety, okay? Huh?"
Ian's attention was quickly taken back, by the Hulk emerging from the fire once more, seemingly unharmed in the least.
" GO!" Ian yelled.
He and Hulk charged each other, and their fists collided together, sending out a shockwave that pushed Ian back.
The boy landed on his feet and flew up and around to the Hulk's back, using his speed advantage to catch the Hulk off balance. He then punched the man in the back of his head a few times before the Hulk spun around and delivered a powerful elbow to his jaw. Ian hit the ground hard but used the momentum to quickly recover.
He then pushed forward, towards the Hulk and kneed the man in his chin, forcing the beast's mouth open. Ian stuck both his hands into the Hulk's mouth and used his momentum and strength to toss the Hulk over the institute entirely and into the forest.
Ian followed after the Hulk. And when the Hulk finally landed Ian flew right up to him, ready to strike once again, only the Hulk grabbed Ian by his throat and started running him through the tress. Slamming the young man through each and every tree and limb before leaping into the air, with the young mutant still in his hand, and slamming the boy straight down through the top of the Institute, straight through to the sub-basement level where the X-jets were usually parked.
The moment the two landed, Ian immediately used his heat vision to blast the Hulk off of him, sending the brute crashing into the ceiling. Ian, then hopped to his feet and leaped on top of the downed Hulk, punching him multiple time in the back of his head, before grabbing the man by his massive leg and tossing him across the room.
The moment the Hulk landed he recovered and was quickly blasted in the face by Ian.
" Gaaaaah!" The Hulk grunted.
Ian continued pouring it onto the Hulk. As much as he could as fast as he could. Without delay.
Though, he realized he couldn't do it forever. The Hulk wouldn't let him.
And the Hulk proved it by tearing a piece of the metal from the wall off and using it to charge straight through Ian's energy blast.
" UGHHH!" Ian grunted. Hulk bashed him in the face with the metal wall, before discarding it and grabbing Ian by his head.
He then began punching the young man into the ceiling, hard enough to crack the ground above, startling the others still moving.
" What in the devil is going on down there?!" Emma exclaimed.
Suddenly, as if to answer her question, Ian came exploding out of the ground, along with the Hulk.
The Hulk turned around before Emma and the others could react and clapped his hands together. Sending them all flying.
" Enough of this." The Hulk exclaimed. With Ian and the others finally out of the way, the Hulk strode up to what remained of Xaviers. Walking straight through the hole in the wall, while Xavier and the others continued to look after the injured. " This is how you wanted it. Happy now?" Hulk asked Xavier.
" Far as you go, bub." Logan snarled. He pulled himself up and popped his claws again. However, he wouldn't be much help. As soon as Logan lunged at the Hulk, The Hulk punched wolverine into the forest.
" Get.... Out of our home monster" Colossus told the Hulk. He stood up, with his arms still bent inwards, ready to fight.
" You're a piece of work, Xavier. Sending every last mutant than can so much as crawl to save your scrawny hide." The Hulk exclaimed.
" I told you from the start, Hulk, I surrender." Xavier told the man.
" And we told you, professor, no way." Cessily exclaimed.
" Huh, whatever." The Hulk replied. He went to take another step towards the Hulk, when the ground started shaking.
" Forget the walking wounded, Hulk. You got unfinished business." A strong and sturdy voice bellowed.
" Huh? Who said that?" The hulk asked.
" I did. Maybe you remember me. I'M THE JUGGERNAUT!" The Juggernaut beloowed. He stepped out from the fires on the institute lawn, fully girded out in his former uniform, armor of Cyttorak and all. His full power finally restored to face the Hulk.
Will the Crimson avatar of destruction be enough to fell the Green Goliath?