Phoenix Under Attack!

[hulksmashed.livejournal.com]

That's the headline people are trying to avoid.

The Hulk doesn't care. His gait brings him ever closer to the populated city, and so far, nothing seems to stop it.

There's hope that the sandstorm that just kicked up might buy them more time. A sandstorm that's the doing of Crusader, the new girl carrying Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield, who's crazy enough to try to face the Hulk without the help of her team, who have been held up by dealing with some other U.S. agent.

The storm doesn't stop him. It only slows him.

Slightly.

Comments

[marvel-citizens.livejournal.com]

Warbird swoops in, firing a few blasts at both Morph and Dazzler.

"Forget it, Logan! They sound like tree-hugging pinkos to me!"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

A few blasts come up from a shadowed zone, and a figure rolls out of hiding, buying the Exiles some cover.

"Don't bother with these dopes," he orders the others. "Go help the flying girl! I'll hold these guys off!"

[proteus-maximus.livejournal.com]

Holes open in Morph's body - in advance of Warbird's blasts, allowing them to pass through.

"Don't you guys have a Reed Richards on this stupid world? He can fix anything!"

Nevertheless, Morph changes directions, moving to help Crusader.

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Dr. Richards was consulted on this -- but he was unable to find a way to subdue the Hulk which didn't involve merging it back with Banner," he replies, firing at Warbird, the stunning energy output set to maximum.

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

A gob of webbing into the hairy munchkin's face.

"Who the shock are YOU, then?"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"You can call me Patriot," the man answers, firing a blast of stun-energy at Wolverine, taking advantage of the webbing. "You must be with the flying girl, right?"

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

Another gob to Moondragon's face.

"In case you haven't noticed, there are about FORTY flying girls here, Pattie, but we're with the one with the hammer!"

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"That's her," Patriot replies, sending a kick to Wolverine's gut. "I'm an old friend of her old man -- I'm not sure, but I'm guessing we're on the same side."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

"How 'bout you tell us what your side is, and we'll figure it out from there!"

His body jerks suddenly - WAY too close with that last blast from the lightning-bolt swimsuit woman...

[proteus-maximus.livejournal.com]

Morph moves towards the Hulk, shifting his form almost randomly, hoping the beast will be confused by the changes.

"So, can we knock him to the North Pole or something?"

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, the girl skeleton on the bike is acting purely on instinct. First, dropping off her blue passanger in firing range, and second gunning for the bald woman who feel wrong here.

[stark-inc.livejournal.com]

"Moondragon!" Iron Man calls out with a warning. If she goes down there might not be enough plan here to adjust. Damn these people anyway!

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Long as you're not murderers," Patriot replies. "We need to save Phoenix, but we can't let them just kill the Hulk!"

He turns his energy blasters on the Hulk to further distract him. "Look at me, you big green bastard!"

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

Spidey swings with Dazzler, but lands a reasonable distance from the creature to keep the non-invulnerable types safe.

"Why not? It's obviously going to have no problem killing us - and if the guy that spawned it isn't even IN there anymore... what are we really killing?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

Oh, crap.

She lets herself stare for a second. James. I just had to kill you. Not another one. Not yet.

At least the costume is an embarassment. She'll be doing him a favor. Really.

Pistols out. She may be useless against The Hulk, but at least she can pick off some of the hangers-on. Wrestlemania better be right this time. If it turns out they're not here to protect the Hulk, she'll make sure he lives long enough to hear her scorn.

[wwii-hero.livejournal.com]

"Who's to say?" Patriot replies. "How do we know that there isn't a duplicate of Banner in there? We don't know what the Beyonder did to him." He fires again, trying to get the Hulk pursuing him.

"And what set him off towards Phoenix anyway? Look... there are other alternatives, but the Hulkbusters don't want to hear them!"

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

Wrestlemania hardly knows what's going on, and he's hanging back, trying to figure it out.

We've got Hulkbusters, we've got Avengers who seem interchangeable with Hulkbusters at the moment... and then Patriot, who thinks we can tame the savage beast... and their job is to 'protect the killer'... and this Patriot guy is the only one right now who ISN'T a killer in some form.

Head is hurting.

Over the Exiles comm units, he barks out a question.

"Okay... does anybody have any clue what 'The Beyonder' is? Apparently, it's responsible for Banner not being in the Hulk's brain anymore... oh, wait, Sarah? Are you okay? Didn't the Beyonder have something to do with you?"

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Never heard of it," says Mystique.

She's not staring. Not even a little.

...

His technique is awful. Her James would do better.

[bub-snikt.livejournal.com]

And suddenly, he gets knocked back, skidding right up to her.

Picking himself up and clenching his jaw, about to charge back into the fight before spinning to jab two claws out to hold her throat in place, and threatening the third one.

"Long time, no see."

[proteus-maximus.livejournal.com]

Morph replies over the communication channel.

"The Beyonder? Sure, I know him. Dresses like a male version of Dazzler. Sort of an omnipotent meddler-type. Like our buddy, the Timebroker. I betcha Sarah would know more, though.."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

"Great... I can hardly believe there's a female version of Dazzler," he quips. "Let's try not to run into that guy. The green jerk is bad enough..."

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

Sarah's voice is a little slurred, like she may well have a conscussion or a broken jaw or both, but she's still up and fighting.
"I'd be better if someone could keep these fucking Avengers off of me! The Hulk is bad enough. Yeah... what about the Beyonder?"

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

Finally, a direction - when in doubt, beat up the people who are attacking people on your team.

If he can get the heck away from these goobers.

"We've got Avengers on us, too, but we're coming! This... friend of your uncle's or something says the Beyonder's the guy who split Banner and Hulk! That mean anything to you?"

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

"Yeah... and watch out for Moondragon, mind controller supreme." Yes, she's at least noticed who's fighting who, and knows most of these people in some sense.

"The friend is Bucky Barnes, my father's old sidekick. He's good people. Beyonder didn't do that in my world, but it makes sense. Can I explain later and let someone get Iron Man off me now?"

[hulksmashed.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, the Hulk is free to be pounded by the Hulkbusters while the Avengers are occupying all the interlopers, and gradually, his direction is being changed, as he keeps getting knocked around and spun... but he never falls.