Inside Levi's quarters, the energy runes drifting through the air suddenly fell into chaos.
He opened his eyes and looked up.
A surge of energy pierced through the atmosphere.
The Bifrost.
Thor had arrived.
His communicator buzzed. Natasha.
"Mr. Chen, we've got a situation," she said evenly. "Radar picked up intense spatial fluctuations—same signature as New Mexico. Fury wants you on deck."
"Understood."
Levi stood and stepped out.
He nearly ran into Tony and Banner exiting the lab. Neither looked pleased.
"What happened?" Levi asked.
"Fury's been lying to us," Tony said sharply. "He's building weapons with the Tesseract."
"I know."
Tony blinked. "You know?"
"Why do you think I'm on this ship?" Levi patted his shoulder. "Go watch the show. The Captain's already confronting him."
Levi headed toward the deck.
---
Bridge Command Center
Steve Rogers slammed a black metal case onto the holographic table.
Bang.
Every head turned.
He opened it.
Inside lay a HYDRA energy rifle, its red emblem glaring under the lights.
"Phase Two," Steve said, voice like ice. "This is your plan, isn't it?"
He locked eyes with Nick Fury.
Fury's face hardened. "That's classified."
"Why?" Steve stepped forward. "S.H.I.E.L.D. protects the world. We don't threaten it with the enemy's weapons."
Tony entered with Banner.
"I'll answer that," Tony said dryly. "Because he never trusted us. He just needed Banner's gamma expertise to stabilize the Cube so he could mass-produce these murder toys."
Banner adjusted his glasses, pale. His breathing quickened.
"You lied to me," he said quietly.
"I didn't lie," Fury replied. "I just didn't tell you everything. Loki proved we're not alone—and we're pathetically vulnerable. We need deterrence."
"We have nuclear deterrence!" Steve shot back.
"Ask Chen how useful nukes were against the last alien invasion," Fury retorted.
Voices rose. Tension stretched thin.
On a monitor, Loki watched with faint amusement.
No one noticed the Mind Scepter's blue gem pulse faintly.
An invisible wave of malice spread—amplifying suspicion, anger, pride.
Banner wiped sweat from his brow.
His heart pounded.
The world felt distorted.
"Doctor?" Natasha noticed.
"I'm fine." He gripped the table.
Inside his mind, the Other Guy roared.
"You're all beasts in cages," Loki's voice echoed through the bridge speakers. "I simply opened the door."
Banner's eyes flashed green.
"Banner, stay calm!" Steve shouted.
Too late.
"ROAR—!"
Bones cracked. Muscles expanded. Skin turned green.
The Hulk.
He smashed a console in one blow, sparks flying, then backhanded Natasha aside when she approached.
Alarms blared across the Helicarrier.
---
Flight Deck
Levi stepped out just as a rainbow beam crashed onto the deck.
Thor emerged, Mjölnir in hand.
"Where is Loki?" he demanded.
"Relax," Levi said. "He's not going anywhere. But your brother stirred up trouble."
A massive explosion tore through the deck behind them.
Hulk burst upward through torn alloy plating.
He locked onto Thor.
"Another god?" Hulk growled.
"You need calming, beast," Thor said confidently, spinning his hammer.
"Thor, don't—"
Too late.
Thor leapt and brought Mjölnir down.
BOOM!
The impact rang like a bell struck against a mountain.
Hulk barely budged.
He grinned.
Then punched.
Thor crossed his hammer defensively—
CRASH!
He was launched clean off the deck, smashing through railings and vanishing into the clouds.
One punch.
God of Thunder: gone.
Levi sighed.
Reckless.
Hulk turned toward him, beating his chest.
He charged.
Levi didn't move.
The ability Infinite Rage ignited within him, resonating with Hulk's fury.
He chose not to use space manipulation.
Not lightning.
Just strength.
As Hulk's fist neared his face, Levi's fist met it.
Two wildly disproportionate fists collided midair.
No explosion.
Just a deep, crushing impact like colliding mountains.
A white shockwave burst outward. The Helicarrier shuddered violently.
Hulk's expression froze.
An overwhelming force—purer, more violent than his own—surged from Levi's smaller fist.
The giant slid backward.
His feet carved trenches into the deck.
Levi narrowed his eyes.
Stronger than last time. The Mind Stone's influence? Amplified rage.
Hulk roared and charged again.
Levi stepped forward.
Fist to fist. Kick to kick.
No finesse.
No dodging.
Raw force.
Each collision shook the carrier. The deck fractured beneath them.
But it was obvious—
Hulk was losing ground.
Every blow he threw was driven back. Levi stood like a nail hammered into steel—immovable.
Anger alone isn't enough, Levi thought calmly. I'm not even trying yet.
Since gaining divine physiology, his strength had climbed again. He was testing Hulk—measuring the Mind Stone's amplification.
After another exchange, Levi caught Hulk's wrist.
"No time to play," he said quietly. "You're about fifty percent of my current output. That's enough."
Hulk roared, straining. The force that could flip tanks couldn't budge Levi's grip.
Levi seized his shoulder, drove a knee into his chest, and twisted his hips.
A perfect over-the-shoulder throw.
BOOM!
For the first time, Hulk's massive body was lifted completely off the ground—and slammed hard into the deck.
The Helicarrier dipped slightly from the impact.
Hulk lay stunned, fury fading into confusion.
Natasha climbed back onto the deck through the rupture.
She ignored Levi and walked slowly toward Hulk, hand extended.
"Hey… big guy," she said softly. "They're not trying to hurt you. Just… take a breath."
Hulk stared at her, breathing heavily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~