"At least it won't make things worse," Banner said quietly.
Ross studied him for a long moment.
Then he gave the order.
"Return to base."
He could not afford escalation.
This was a densely populated urban district. If civilian casualties climbed, even a decorated general could lose his command overnight. Congressional hearings, Supreme Court scrutiny, and White House pressure would follow.
Ross could ignore protests.
He could not ignore political consequences.
Real power came from retaining command.
And losing control here would cost him everything.
Harlem Rooftop
Karl stood on the edge of the building, watching the destruction below with cold detachment.
Blonsky's transformation had not been random.
The incomplete super-soldier serum he received was derived from Captain America's formula — a compound known to amplify what already existed within a subject.
In Steve Rogers, it amplified courage and moral strength.
In Johann Schmidt, it magnified cruelty and obsession.
In Blonsky, it intensified ambition… and hatred.
Defeated twice by the Hulk, humiliated and paralyzed the second time, Blonsky's psyche had fractured. His obsession with power metastasized into something monstrous.
After witnessing a civilian mutated by Banner's blood exhibit enhanced strength, Blonsky saw only one path forward.
Power.
At any cost.
That was why he threatened Samuel Sterns.
That was why he discarded Ross's orders.
That was why he injected the blood.
Below, the Abomination rampaged through traffic, overturning vehicles and hurling debris like artillery.
Then—
BOOM
The creature was suddenly launched sideways, smashing into a bus stop.
Karl's eyes narrowed.
He turned toward the opposite rooftop.
A figure swung through the air.
Black and white suit.
Hooded mask.
A stylized spider emblem across the torso.
Karl blinked.
"…What?"
His mind raced.
Peter Parker was still a child.
Spider-Man should not exist yet.
So who—
The figure landed, fluid and precise.
A woman.
She fired twin strands of webbing and kicked the Abomination across the street.
Karl exhaled slowly.
Spider-Woman.
But which one?
Jessica Drew? Unlikely.
Julia Carpenter? Wrong era.
An Osborn experiment?
Or—
Gwen Stacy?
He watched closely.
The Abomination roared and ripped a car from the street, hurling it toward her.
She moved to dodge—
Then saw the passengers inside.
Instead of evading, she anchored webs to surrounding buildings, forming a tension net that caught the vehicle mid-air.
She tore the door open and pulled the civilians free.
The Abomination laughed.
"Hahaha! Little bug! Let's see how many you can save!"
He began tearing vehicles from the street and throwing them one after another.
Spider-Woman reacted instantly.
Web lines shot across lampposts, rooftops, fire escapes — forming a suspended lattice that slowed the impacts.
She darted from car to car, extracting terrified civilians.
Her movements were precise, efficient, and desperate.
But the strain was showing.
Abomination's throws carried enormous force — power sufficient to overpower the Hulk in their first encounter.
One mistake would mean death.
She realized the truth.
This could not continue.
She fired webs skyward and swung toward the monster.
If she kept him focused on her, fewer civilians would die.
Karl's eyes narrowed.
Her frame was lean — not fully matured.
The proportions suggested adolescence rather than adulthood.
Gwen Stacy is seventeen in this timeline…
The probability increased.
He would confirm later.
She engaged at close range.
Her agility allowed her to evade the first series of blows, landing rapid strikes and web binds at joints and eyes.
None of it slowed him.
Then Blonsky's combat instincts surfaced.
He anticipated her movement.
His fist connected.
BOOM
She was launched into the wall of a storefront, cracking brick and concrete.
She collapsed to one knee, clutching her abdomen.
Internal trauma.
Possibly organ damage.
Abomination advanced slowly, grinning.
"Hehehe… little bug… why can't you get up?"
He leapt high into the air, raising both fists for a crushing blow.
She rolled away at the last instant — spider-sense screaming — as the impact cratered the pavement.
Even the shockwave worsened her injuries.
She forced herself upright and fired webbing behind him, launching a counterattack.
He caught her leg mid-swing.
Her eyes widened behind the mask.
He slammed her into the pavement.
The impact drove air from her lungs.
He raised his foot to crush her—
She twisted free just in time, but the shock rippled through her already injured torso.
She staggered backward.
Breathing ragged.
Vision blurring.
She knew.
If she continued, she would die here.
She fired a web line and tried to retreat.
The Abomination tore loose a chunk of metal debris and hurled it.
The projectile severed her web line mid-swing.
She crashed to the street hard.
Pain exploded through her abdomen.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Above, Karl watched in silence.
The street-level hero had done what she could.
But she had just stepped into a battlefield meant for monsters.
And the monster was still coming.
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