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

[hulksmashed.livejournal.com]

The force is enough to make him take a knee.

But when he recovers, it's not so much the Hulk that's pursuing her as it is the giant boulder he's wrenched upwards to throw at her.

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

Sonofa...

She does her best to hunch up behind the shield, not bad, all things considerered, to help cushion the initial impact.

It still sends her flying, and when she hits the ground, the boulder lands heavily on top of her. There's a moment of stillness as the dust begins to settle, then the rock first stirs, then lifts, a somewhat more bruised Sarah lifting it, and flinging it back.

"C'mon...*gasp* you're going to have to do better than that! Come get me!"

[hulksmashed.livejournal.com]

The Hulk responds with a leap.

Streaing to land fists-first on top of the girl.

Still without a word.

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

Well, he's finally moving, really moving, the correct direction. She can't complain... except about that whole impending doom feeling.

She's flying up, 0 to MACH 3 in 0.2 seconds to meet him, leading with the shield to try and survive the impact of his fists, and swinging the hammer.

There's a thunderous impact, enough to be heard off at the edges of the city, and to cause a shockwave the others can probably feel.

Sarah, ultimately, is driven down to the ground again, landing with a bone jarring crack, and left crawling back, trying to find her wits and just hoping that, at least, might have staggered him a little.

Its all she can hope for, as she starts trying to pull herself to her feet, too much depending on her now to slip blissfully into unconsciousness.

[hulksmashed.livejournal.com]

No leverage in the air, only momentum.

As such, the colossal impact knocks the Hulk's head backwards, sending him awkwardly spiraling to the ground as his forearms smash downward on that shield.

Upon impact, his own head cracks backwards impossibly.

Yet, in a little more than an instant, it realigns itself, and the beast starts to bring himself to his feet once again.

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

She can be thankful for all that, and it probably makes for quite the show, actually looking like she did something to the monster.

By the time he's up, so is she, though she's a lot shakier, but holding up the shield defiantly, backing away slowly to try and keep him moving the way she wants. Its amazingly painful, and she's pretty sure she has a few broken bones... but its working.

When she throws the hammer, its not quite as forceful as last time, but its still Mjolnir, and she's still plenty strong... she's just glad the Hulk isn't hard to hit or she'd miss by a mile, as unsteady as she gets when throwing for power right now. As it is, even to hit that requires all her attention.

[bi-beast.livejournal.com]

The hammer smashes into the Hulk's shoulder, and it's enough to rock him backwards... once again into the arms of the Bi-Beast, who grabs the beast's head and pulls backwards, HARD, to drive his back to the earth once more... and then wraps two claws around his face and lets loose with massive energy blasts.

"DIE, MISERABLE CREATURE! ALLOW YOUR POINTLESS EXISTENCE TO END!"

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

"NO!"

The shield is flung at the 'forehead' space between the faces.

"I told you, I'm not going to help murder him! Can't you see he's not heading for the city!?" she shouts at the new monster, as the hammer is returning to her, and she's starting to regain a little balance.

[stark-inc.livejournal.com]

A devastating blast is delivered from a barely mobile suit of Iron Man armor.

"How...long...do you really think you can -" He pants and strains. This suit, he knows, is likely to kill him, but all for the good of all those lives. Still, the snarl comes through. "Keep him averted! We tried aversion! It's an...animal!"

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

As hard as the Hulk has been on her when she was prepared for it, getting blindsided by the Hulkbuster armor is almost too much.

She goes bouncing and rolling over the dirt, now charred to add some texture to go with the bruises. She starts pulling herself up enough to crawl to where he shield lies, trying to defend herself long enough to assess these new threats - the Hulk, she might have been able to lead off. But fighting it, Bi-Beast and Iron Man... no chance.

"He's... still a living thing." she mutters before spitting blood... but at least having the defiance left to spit it at Iron Man.

[stark-inc.livejournal.com]

"How alive can it be without Banner! What...soul?"

A volley of missiles are aimed at the Hulk. They are designed to hone in on the monstrosity even if he dodges.

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

Her left arm doesn't want to move right, probably dislocated, so she lifts the shield in the other and leads with it - flying, at least, is easy.

She launches herself at Iron Man, a little unsteady, able to deflect only a single missile in her flight.

"If he's siding with you and... *nng* Walker, I wonder who got the soul."