Chapter 14: Vs The Cabal.

10+ advance chapters in my Pat.reon.

Pat.reon.com/Saintbarbido.

::--------------------------------::

(General P.O.V)

"Really? You buried it?"

Black Widow shook her head at the Hulk, wondering how such a powerful device could be placed somewhere so...remote.

They were on a range deep in Adirondack Mountains, which lay in the northeastern part of New York, almost 300 miles away.

The green Behemoth looked back dumbfounded.

"What? I wanted it to be safe! And it's not like I told anyone else where I put it!"

He defended.

"Exactly! Had you trusted me or Stark or the others, this would have been on hand in case something like this ever happened."

She snapped back slightly, then shook her head, rubbing her temples.

The Hulk blinked before growling.

"Fine. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Natasha was a bit surprised at the soft and genuine promise. Normally Hulk wasn't so...understanding.

Their current situation must have really jarred him. Then again, she would freak out if there were more people like her, cold assassins trained to be the best.

The world would be plunged into a different kind of chaos.

"Just hurry up and let's go. I don't want to listen to Stark complain about the loss of his precious tower."

She informed him just as a call came in through her comms.

"Black Widow here."

She tapped on her ear piece.

A second later her face changed.

"Shit. We'll be there in 10. let's just hope the kid can keep them occupied before we arrive."

"You don't need to concern yourself with Iron Skull, we have Spiderman and his team en route to provide back up to Mr.Batson. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Maria Hill, Fury's second in command replied.

Black Widow's gaze jumped to the Hulk who was pulling something off the shattered ground before she answered.

"We have the gamma siphoning device."

At least something had gone right.

Still, she hoped Billy would be alright. Iron Skull and his Cabal were bad news. She remembered the time when she was infected by Dracula with vampirism.

Natasha still had nightmares about the unquenchable bloodlust

She shook her head. They needed to get back. ASAP.

(Billy's P.O.V)

Up against three of the Avenger's biggest enemies. Could I do this?

Something within me said it didn't matter.

The lance in the blue skinned Atlantean's hand glowed as Atuma spoke.

"Skull, let's make haste. Atuma wants to bring this accursed place to its heel."

The Tsunami they were on, begun to churn, the large volume of water he had most likely stolen from the lake, begun to flow towards another direction.

Iron Skull turned to the Super Adaptoid.

"Do not disappoint me, M.O.D.O.K. Finish this creature and..."

Wait, did he think I was going to let them leave?

Fat chance!

I pulled on the strength roaring in my body, pulled my hands back and smacked them together, producing a rippling force that smashed onto the Tsunami, throwing them all back with a spray of the water.

"You're not going anywhere! You lake water stealing assholes."

I roared, using my telepathic range to keep them within my awareness.

The insult was admittedly lacking but I was all for nature. And Atuma should have known not to mess with the park's lake water.

"I will..."

Iron Skull growled out threateningly, getting off the ground.

Only for me to smash into him at subsonic speeds, the distance between us cleared in seconds.

"Yeah yeah, you'll kill me and whatnot." I told him, shoulder checking the Nazi leader through a fountain and crumbling the stone structure.

I reared back a hand to punch him on his ugly red face. Only for the water splashing around us to change form into snake like constructs that bound my body down.

Fuck! I should have kept the telepathic shield around me active throughout. I was relying too much on the Hulk's durability. Unfortunately, it was a bit hard to use both abilities at the same time.

Iron Skull pulled his knees close to his chest, before smashing the armor's jet thrusters onto my belly.

The force was enough to lift me up and throw me away, my body carving a groove through the ground, before crashing through a few trees.

I coughed, getting to my feet as I felt, the heat in my muscles grow to more uncomfortable levels.

It took a lot of effort to swallow the groan that was about to escape my lips.

Then my head whipped to the side as something blunt and heavy landed on my cheek. A hammer similar to Thor's but held in M.O.D.O.K's robotic arm.

I actually felt that one.

M.O.D.O.K snickered.

I spat out blood and a tooth, anger surging from deep within me, momentarily taking over my mental faculties.

I took a step back, then yelled, winding back an arm before punching out to my front in pure instinct.

My hand phased through the Super-Adaptoid's face. The pressure wave generated from my fist caused the trees behind the hologram to bend and numerous leaves to be blown up into the sky.

'Move!'

All of my instincts shouted at me as I realized I had been duped.

I was too slow to move away.

Something hot smashed onto my back, however, just because I couldn't dodge it, didn't mean, I couldn't tank it.

I had learned from my earlier mistake and spared focus to keep a telekinetic shield around me.

The shield blocked the attack, which was a repulser beam, causing it to splinter off to the sides.

Then it was my turn, I spun to face the real M.O.D.O.K, surprising him by grabbing the Super-Adaptoid with telekinesis, pulling him towards me.

Only for the ground to tremble when Atuma landed behind us, destabilizing my footing and causing me to lose control of the hold I had on the robot.

M.O.D.O.K took that opportunity to lift Thor's hammer, causing the clouds above to gather ominously. Chills broke out across my skin. I couldn't let that hit me.

Iron Skull was also coming down from the right at fast speeds, the iron man armor's palms lighting up with repulser beams.

With Atuma rearing back his fist for a devastating punch at my back, they had me at a disadvantage. It was a pincer move.

My mind begun to work fast. My thoughts ran fast. Faster than my bost could keep up.

Without thinking, I moved my psionic energy, grabbing a hold on Iron Skull and redirecting his flight towards M.O.D.O.K who had finished bringing the copy of Thor's hammer down, causing a large streak of lightning to come down on me.

2 seconds before that, I had rotated my body to catch Atuma's fist.

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immoveable object?

Our collision was not exactly at that level but the ground under us cratered, cracks spreading out and causing soil and patches of green grass to go flying away.

"You're...

Atuma begun to say, before I kicked up into his mid-section causing him to widen his eyes, spitting out blood.

The force behind the hit was enough to throw him to the sky, just as I reinforced the telekinetic shield around me.

The large streak of lightning landed on Atuma's back, causing the Atlantean to howl in pain before falling onto the ground next to me.

The lightning harmlessly washed down my barrier just as I fell to my knees, my head pounding like a bitch.

I felt nauseous and dizzy. There was loud breathing and cursing before something collided onto the small of my back, carrying me forwards at crazy speeds, and right onto the path of a furious and smoking Antlantean.

Atuma whipped the trident in his hands and struck it across my face.

My head jerked back from the impact, the strength behind the Antlantean's blow, enough to forcefully flip me around, before I hit the ground the third time since the fight had begun.

Shit. I had gotten distracted!

There was a surprised yelp from a nearby couple sitting on a bench.

"Go, get out of here!"

I slurred at them and they scrambled away, screaming in panic while I tried to get up and failed.

So instead, I propped my body back onto the ground.

My vision was still swimming, the world spinning and a trail of blood falling from my forehead. But this was mostly from getting hit.

So okay...just because I have the Hulk's powers doesn't mean I have his durability.

The reason could be two fold.

One, his powers relied on his anger but with my Psionic abilities and Solomon's legacy ensuring I was always in control of my mind, I couldn't channel the necessary anger.

The other reason could be that, his body had adapted and grown even stronger from the gamma energy inside him.

In comparison, my body's rate of adapting was not as fast. That could be why the heat in my muscles had been steadily growing intense.

And I suspect I had a concussion. Along with a few broken ribs, just breathing sent waves of pain to my back.

Let's just lie down here for a little while.

I was getting my ass kicked. Why was I getting my ass kicked? I fought off a Hulked out Thor, Hawkeye and Iron Man and basically won. Kinda.

Why was I fairing bad with their enemies? People who they beat almost on a daily basis?

I heard them before they entered my range and instead of finishing me off, Iron Skull begun to monologue.

Good...I could take advantage of this. Maybe come up with a plan before I lost my life only one week into this verse.

I sluggishly tried to get away only to be flipped over onto my back and the trident placed below my neck.

I looked up and found myself surrounded.

From the left, the Super Adaptoid stood with a construct of Mjolnir formed at the end of it's left limb and Captain America's shield on it's right.

Iron Skull stood in the middle of the other two, hands clasped behind his back and finally, Atuma was on my right, a glare on his face as he regarded me.

The glare could be because of his smoking body from the lightning.

"Did you really think you could best us? Atuma is a Warlord, I am a combat tactician and The Super-adaptoid is adaptable."

Iron Skull sneered.

A plan begun forming in my mind. If it worked then I could deal with the three of them at the same time, saving the day and getting back my apartment.

Hardly something worthy of inspiring heroics but that apartment had grown on me.

"No more talking, time for slaying. No one hurts Atuma!"

Atuma growled out.

My heart jumped as the tips of his trident glowed golden, pushing slightly into my neck.

Not yet.

"Wait."

I said, forcing my tone to be calm as I stared at the Skull.

"Don't you think I would be more valuable alive?"

"Wait, Atuma."

Iron Skull raised a hand as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"He could be a good bargaining chip."

"A lab-rat if that fails. I would love to find out how his biology works."

M.O.D.O.K added, his face disturbingly cruel.

Atuma growled, retracting the spear.

"Fine."

A pair of cuffs seemed to form in the Super-adaptoid's hands as it walked forward.

During the entire conversation, I had been gathering all the energy inside my body

It hadn't been easy at first, however from my judicious efforts on learning how to control my psionic abilities, I had gained an uncanny skill with energy control.

It wasn't at the level of reinforcing my muscles, skeleton or organs directly but I could project blasts of telekinetic force from anywhere in my body.

And that rang true for any other internal energy within me.

If I could perceive it, I could control it.

"Huh?"

A startled sound left Skull's skinless lips as the three of them found themselves held in place, immobile by my telekinesis.

"What sorcery is this!?"

Atuma yelled.

A smile spread across my face.

"Actually, I think I've changed my mind. I'm no one's lab-rat."

I looked up at the bright sky and one word left my mouth.

"SHAZAM!"

There was a brief silence, before M.O.D.O.K's screech of fear was drowned out by a massive explosion of gamma energy.

I felt the power leave my body in wide streaks followed by an omnidirectional wave of green light.

For a second I worried that I had miscalculated the area of effect. But Solomon's legacy came in clutch once again.

The energy wave slammed onto the boundaries of the shield along my telepathic range which had grown to a hundred meters.

The energy wave failed to break through, receding and searching for another path.

That extra energy shot towards the sky and away from the planet.

The heat in my muscles disappeared as I shrank down, my body fully devoid of any gamma energy.

A notification appeared at the corner of my eye. I had succeeded in the mission.