As Bruce Banner's second personality, the Hulk possessed only rudimentary thinking. He wasn't the cunning planner he'd eventually become on Sakaar, but he understood enough. Through the haze of Banner's own terrified memories, he knew what that orange ball represented.
Banner wanted to use it to wish him out of existence. To destroy him.
The Hulk would never allow that.
The moment he had seized control of the body, his first priority was simple. Get rid of the Dragon Ball. Throw it so far away that Banner could never find it again.
If the Hulk had been smarter, he might have kept it. He might have tried to make his own wish, one to erase Banner instead, leaving only the Hulk. But that level of planning was far beyond him. Destruction, or in this case, removal, was simpler.
Ross gripped the console in the command vehicle, his knuckles white. "What was that thing he threw?" he barked into his radio.
"A spherical object, General," a staticky voice replied. "Moving too fast to identify clearly."
Blonsky's voice cut in, clearer and sharper. "Orange colored, Had markings. Stars, maybe. Unknown purpose."
With his enhanced vision, Blonsky could at least track the object's trajectory. The regular soldiers around him hadn't seen more than a blur.
Ross filed the information away. Whatever it was, it wasn't the priority. "Team A, open fire."
Betty, meanwhile, ignored the soldiers trying to pull her back and memorized the direction the Hulk had thrown the object. Northeast, over the treeline. She'd find it later.
Assault rifles and machine guns opened up in a thunderous barrage. The sound was a deafening, continuous roar. Bullets hammered into the Hulk's chest and arms, sparking bright yellow off his green skin.
The rounds couldn't penetrate, but they stung. Pain and a fresh, hot flood of anger surged through him. The Hulk roared, a sound that drowned out the gunfire, and charged toward the nearest firing position.
"Concentrate fire! Where's the fifty-cal?"
Several jeeps mounted with heavy machine guns roared into position, their tires churning up the grass. Their larger weapons began tracking the Hulk's movement. The thump-thump-thump of the .50 caliber rounds was a deeper, heavier sound. These hit harder, actually making him flinch.
It wasn't enough to hurt him seriously. It felt more like getting hit with paintballs. Annoying, rather than damaging.
But it successfully redirected his attention. The Hulk changed course, roaring, and went after the jeeps instead.
He caught the first vehicle with a shoulder check that flipped it completely over. The soldiers inside bailed out, rolling across the ground seconds before the impact.
Another jeep swerved around him, its gunner still firing. The Hulk ignored the bullets and stomped on the hood with one massive foot. The engine block and front axle crumpled like aluminum foil, the windshield shattering into a million pieces.
He grabbed the ruined vehicle with both hands and began smashing it into the ground repeatedly, the shriek of tearing metal echoing across the campus. Once it was sufficiently destroyed, he ripped the engine block free, trailing wires and fluid, and hurled it at another approaching jeep.
The engine punched clean through the first vehicle. It didn't stop, exiting the far side and hitting the jeep directly behind it. The second jeep exploded in a massive, rolling fireball that sent a wave of heat across the field.
Several students, drawn by the noise, had ventured close enough to witness the carnage. Phones came out immediately, their screens bright in the afternoon light. They recorded everything, their hands shaking. Within seconds, grainy, shaky footage of the green giant was uploading to YouTube.
In his Malibu mansion, Tony Stark was testing the latest modifications to his Mark armor when JARVIS's voice interrupted the workshop's music.
"Sir, a video just appeared on YouTube that may interest you."
"Pull it up."
A holographic display materialized, showing grainy footage of a massive green creature fighting the U.S. military. Tony froze mid-gesture.
"When is this happening?"
"Approximately three minutes ago, sir. The engagement is likely still ongoing, though there are no public cameras in the immediate area."
Tony didn't hesitate. "That big green guy is tanking heavy machine gun fire with his bare skin. I need to get there before it's over."
He sealed his helmet, the faceplate closing with a pneumatic hiss, and launched from the basement workshop, a red-and-gold streak blasting into the sky. As he flew, he dictated a message.
"JARVIS, send this to Smith Doyle. 'Hey, there's a situation at Culver University in Virginia. Big green problem that I think you'd find interesting. Time for us to make a joint appearance.'"
At the Fraternity headquarters, Smith had been reviewing potential scenarios for initiating the Dragon Ball tournament when Friday high-pitched voice interrupted.
"Master, there's a message from Tony Stark."
Smith listened to the message, his expression calm, and immediately understood. General Ross had found Banner. The confrontation was happening now.
Perfect timing, actually. Tony was inviting him to intervene, which gave Smith the perfect opportunity to discuss the Dragon Ball competition with him afterward.
Smith activated his Flying technique and launched toward Virginia, his body cutting through the air at supersonic speed.
On the battlefield, Blonsky directed a squad of enhanced soldiers to provide covering fire while he loaded a grenade launcher.
His plan was simple. Lead the Hulk toward the sonic cannon emplacement. Use the specialized weapon to incapacitate the target.
He fired. The grenade exploded directly against the Hulk's chest. The creature staggered backward, more surprised by the sudden concussion than anything.
When the smoke cleared, his skin showed no damage whatsoever.
Blonsky's eyes widened. Grenades couldn't even scratch him?
A cold, bitter envy mixed with his shock. Blonsky had become powerful, yes. But compared to this monster, he was nothing.
The Hulk grabbed a twisted sheet of metal from a destroyed vehicle, using it as an improvised shield. Blonsky took the opportunity to fire again.
The Hulk stumbled. Blonsky fired a third time.
This grenade hit the makeshift shield instead. The Hulk looked down at the dented metal in his hand, then broke off another piece of wreckage. Now he had two shields, one in each hand.
He raised both in front of his body and glared at Blonsky with pure hatred.
"Remember me?" Blonsky called out, then fired his last grenade.
He turned and ran toward the sonic cannon position, firing his pistol as he went. The handgun was useless for damage, obviously. If grenades couldn't break through, 9mm rounds were worthless. But the ping-ping-ping of the bullets against the shields served its purpose. It kept the Hulk focused on him instead of the other soldiers.
Blonsky pushed his enhanced speed to the limit, occasionally glancing back to ensure the monster was still following.
He reached the sonic cannon emplacement and dove to the side. "Fire!"
Blonsky launched himself into a tactical roll, clearing the weapon's cone of effect.
The Hulk, still charging forward, took the full blast.
Even outside the primary zone, the sonic weapon caught Blonsky. He clutched his ears, a sharp pain lancing through his skull.
The Hulk had it worse. The invisible wave of force hit him dead center, targeting his enhanced hearing and disrupting his equilibrium. He roared in agony, dropping the shields and clutching his head.
But what none of them realized was that pain made the Hulk angrier. And anger made him stronger.
The creature's muscles swelled even larger. His eyes burned brighter green. The sonic cannon was only making him more dangerous.
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