Central Park
In an ancient Norwegian dialect, Enchantress continued her chant. Threads of emerald magic swirled around her before seeping into the Executioner and the ground. Skurge roared as he increased in size about two-fold. Meanwhile, the soil and rock around them coalesced into bipedal magical golems.
Frankenstrike blinked at the arrival of the makeshift army. "Now that's a bit much."
"Here we go again," grumbled Hulk.
Suddenly, the storm clouds above struck a blue lightning bolt onto the park. There, the four were interrupted by the arrival of an Asgardian Prince, creating a massive cloud of dust from the impact.
"Thor, thank... Odin?" Frankenstrike breathed a sigh. "Whatever, you're here!"
Thor glared at the magical duo in front of him. "Amora and Skurge. Why are you here?"
"Wait, wait, wait. You know these people?" Frankenstrike got up and stood by Thor.
"Aye, the Enchantress and her Executioner. They are Asgardians." Thor replied with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Amora winked at the Thunder God. "Hello, Golden Boy. It's been a while."
"Is this another attempt to gain my favor?" Thor twirled his hammer at the ready.
Frankenstrike's shoulders slagged. "Are you telling me we're fighting your ex?"
The Executioner growled and gripped his axe. "They never courted each other!"
"She was using me for the throne!" groaned Thor.
The Enchantress crossed her arms. "Is that so bad?"
"God, I'm getting flashbacks." Frankenstrike shook his head at those memories.
Thor's eyes narrowed as he diverted his attention back to the pair. "Why have you come here, Amora?" he demanded.
"Oh, you love Midgard so much, Thunderer," The Enchantress taunted as she raised her hand, which then covered itself in magical green energy. "We thought we would come and see what all the fuss is about."
Hulk spat. "Crazy bitch..."
Unfortunately, Skurge did not take the insult to his love kindly, his enlarged from sprinting at the green giant. However, his pursuit was abruptly halted when Thor charged forward with a battle cry with Mjolnir raised high. He struck Skurge in the face with the hammer, causing disorientation and sending Skurge flying into a statue.
Despite this, Skurge became more furious as he marched forward, letting out a roar before diving at Thor and tackling him mid-flight. Both of them crashed into the forest with Hulk in close pursuit. The collision left a trench over half the park in its wake.
#
Frankenstrike attempted to subdue Amore, but he was fooled once more. His body phased through another illusionary construct. "Dammit!" Another spell allowed her to slip through his grasp and disappear. As much as he wanted to assist with Skurge, the alien hero could see the numerous golems entering the city. It was an obvious distraction, but it still worked.
Two more huge creatures emerged from the ground, towering over him, ready to attack.
When the Golems started to charge at him, Frankenstrike instinctively shot a blast of purple electricity at one of them. As expected, the electricity was grounded into the dirt and rock, causing no damage.
The Golem roared and punched at Frankenstrike, but he dodged and punched the Golem in the face with his metallic hand. The Golem stumbled back but quickly regained its balance.
The second, Golem joined the fight and attacked Frankenstrike from behind.
In a flash, now Four Arms quickly turned around and grabbed the Golem's arm, dropping it into a suplex. The Golem lost chunks of itself but didn't let go. Instead, it used its other hand to punch Four Arms, sending him flying through the air.
Four Arms landed on his feet and got back up, ready for more. He looked at the two Golems, now charging at him fully. He quickly jumped into the air and clapped all four hands simultaneously, releasing a thunderclap air burst. The Golems ran into the shot, and they were thrown back.
Four Arms walked towards the Golems and slammed all four fists down, obliterating them. The other Golem started to attack Four Arms, but he was too quick. He dodged the Golem's punches and kicked it in the stomach, causing it to stumble back.
Four Arms threw a right hook, causing it to fall to the ground. The Golem tried to get back up, but Four Arms jumped on the Golem's chest and inflicted a flurry of straight punches. The Golem couldn't stop Four Arms. Eventually, it exploded into pieces, leaving nothing but dust behind.
Unfortunately, there were still more in the area.
Meanwhile
Skurge and Thor grappled on the ground, wrestling to one-up the other to a standstill. With Skurge distracted, he failed to notice Hulk's incoming fist until it collided with his jaw, sending him a few meters away.
Not willing to lose ground, Skurge advanced on the heroes.
The thunderous sound of Mjolnir echoed throughout the park. Thor charges forward, swinging Mjolnir with all his might. The Executioner parries the blow with his axe, sparks flying as the weapons collide. The two warriors circled each other, sizing each other up.
The god strikes again, this time with a lightning-fast uppercut. The Executioner ducks under the blow and retaliates with a powerful overhead swing. Thor jumps back, dodging the attack and launching a barrage of lightning bolts.
Skurge deflects the bolts with his axe, his massive strength and skill matched by Thor's godly powers. The two warriors clash again and again, neither gaining the upper hand.
Suddenly, Thor stumbles as the Executioner lands a heavy blow to his ribs. Thor grunts in pain but quickly regains his footing and retaliates with a mighty thunderclap that shakes the ground.
The Executioner staggered but stayed on his feet. He roars with rage and charges forward, swinging his axe in a wide arc. Thor blocks the blow with Mjolnir and counters with a massive lightning strike that envelops the Executioner.
As the dust cleared, he could hear the warrior's chuckle. As expected of Amora, the enchantment of Skurge gave him resistance to Thor's main attack element.
The fight was interrupted when Wasp entered the scene. Before Skurge could attack again, yellow blasts pelted Skurge. The surprise attack was enough to force Skurge back for a moment.
Wasp fires another barrage of energy blasts from her suit's blasters, but Skurge deftly dodges and counters with a sweeping strike from his axe.
At that moment, Iron Man appeared, soaring towards Skurge to hinder his progress. Despite Iron Man's jet boots applying pressure, Skurge continued moving forward, his gaze fixed on Thor with deadly intention. But Tony was suddenly disrupted when an alarm blared within his helmet.
J.A.R.V.I.S. had completed his scan of the Skurge. "Alert, unknown energy detected."
Looking back, Tony could see some green energy surrounding him. "Ugh. Magic," he complained sarcastically. However, Iron Man never finished his thoughts, so Skurge grabbed Iron Man by the head with his massive hand and slammed Iron Avenger into the ground.
Wasp darted around Skurge, shrinking to her smaller size and stinging him. Skurge bellowed in pain at his more sensitive spots but quickly regained his composure. She grew to full size and flew into the air, raining down stinging shots upon Skurge. Skurge swings his axe with all his might, but Wasp is too quick and agile, darting and weaving through the air.
Thor ran over and helped Iron Man to his feet.
"There's some kind of weird energy around the guy." Iron reoriented himself. "Mr. Alien said there was a witch here, and it's similar to what your hammer gives off."
The Asgardian face hardened. "Tis dark magic. Skurge has been enchanted to fight on my level."
Wasp then landed next to them with a thud. "Less talking, more hitting, please."
The trio saw Hulk trying to push back against the weight of a fist.
Wasp stood back up and charged towards Skurge, firing her blasters and unleashing a barrage of stinging shots. Skurge held his ground, swinging his enchanted axe to deflect Wasp's attacks. Skurge tanked more of Wasp's attacks and was about to reengage.
Before Skurge could get too close, Giant-Man arrived on the scene, slamming a giant hand down on the green giant and pinning him to the ground. The heroes looked up to see Giant-Man with a confident grin, holding Skurge in place. "I don't think this is a team-building exercise," he quipped.
Before anyone could respond, Giant-Man flipped over the heroes and landed on his back.
Skurge released his hold on the giant hero's foot and jumped into the air. Skurge merely backhanded the others away and landed on Giant Man's head. The warrior raised his axe, intending to bisect Giant Mans's head, but Skurge saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Thor heading right towards him, his hammer raised.
The Asgardian swung his hammer, but Skurge was quick to dodge it. The missed attack caused Thor to stumble and lose his balance, allowing Skurge to grab his cape and spin him around with increasing velocity before sending him flying away.
Iron Man attempted to fly in and tackle Skurge, but the villain was one step ahead. He saw Iron Man approaching and used his powers to hurl him into some trees in the distance.
Skurge gracefully jumped off Giant Man's head and landed skillfully on his shoulder. When the size-changing hero turned to face him, Skurge swiftly punched him unconscious.
"Hey, Ugly. Get a load of me." The Four Arms transformed once again into Ultimate Four Arms.
Ultimate Four Arms dove in, launching a barrage of punches at the Executioner, who managed to dodge a decent amount of the blows. Still, Skurge could feel the sheer power behind the.
The Executioner began to strike at the alien, only for each purple limb to parry and counter each move.
Wasp shot multiple stingers at the Asgardian wielding an axe, but to no avail, as the enhanced foe was occupied with a more pressing danger.
Ben continued his attack, hoping to keep the man's attention.
Skurge soon got annoyed. Drawing back both arms, he slammed his hands together, releasing a massive shock wave. In the corner of his eye, he saw the red-armored man flying toward him. With a flick of his wrist, the magical axe embedded itself into Iron Man's chest plate. The Iron Avenger landed on the ground with a thud.
Ultimate Four Arms was caught off guard by the Skurge's attack and was left stunned, allowing the Skurge to strike with both fists.
When the alien hero and Thor tried to cover for their friend, green magic bolts blasted them away, causing Mjolnir to fall.
"The Avengers." Amora had revealed herself once more. "As annoying as you may be, you had better hope someone more capable chooses to avenge you."
"Found the Witch..." The two stood over Iron Man, whose systems had been shut down due to the damage from the axe still embedded in his chest plate. "J.A.R.V.I.S.? J.A.R.V.I.S., raise the shields, now."
"Not possible, sir." The A.I. responded, "Armor systems are in critical condition and are losing power."
Iron Man then felt a jerk within his armor as Skurge pulled his battle axe out of his armored chest, leaving a large gash.
Angered, Thor reached for his weapon, only to hit a magical barrier. He even tried calling it, but his weapon would not budge.
Iron Man's armor was damaged, and Thor was weaponless and unable to defend himself, leaving the Asgardian prince vulnerable to his opponent's attacks.
Meanwhile, seeing that her attacks barely did anything to the two beings, Wasp flew over to the downed Iron Man.
"Iron Man. Now might be a good time for some kind of- Something." She said urgently.
Iron Man groaned within his depowered armor as sparks and fluid leaked. "Armor's leaking energy faster than I can recharge. Unless you got some spare batteries lying around or an electrical socket."
Before he could finish, a green ring of mist encased Wasp, dragging her away and positioning her next to Thor, who was also immobilized.
Hulk, Ultimate Four Arms, and Hank were the only ones standing. However, the Executioner and Amora soon threw the former two across the park.
Giant Man attempted to punch the Executioner several times, but the Asgardian proved far more agile than he appeared, effortlessly dodging each fist. The Executioner's axe glowed red and swung, launching a massive fireball, colliding with Giant Mans's head. Unfortunately, the magical fire didn't mix well with the Pym Particles, reverting the giant to standard size.
The Executioner advanced on Ant-Man with a predatory smile and pinned him to the ground.
"The giant man first," Amora ordered. "His head will make a good trophy on my wall."
Executioner nodded, then raised his axe to its zenith, ready to decapitate the man.
"Hank." Wasp choked as a tear threatened to fall.
When the blade was inches away from the neck, Skurge's body froze. "What?!" Moments ago, he felt a stinging sensation, and now he was helpless.
The others, however, noticed a small object embedded in the man's back. It was a metal bolt.
"Made it just in time," sounded a voice. Everyone turned to see the Hulk and a different form of Frankenstrike. He stood at 12 feet with grayish skin, scar tissue, and purple stitches across his body. His eyes are green, which resemble protective goggles. His bumpy left arm had cracks, generating a purple glow. The right arm had a Tesla coil on the elbow, protruding from his metallic, bolted gauntlet where the energy travels through.
"What did you do?!" demanded Enchantress. Not even her influence over Skurge could make him budge.
Ultimate Frankenstrike gestured to the bolts on his neck, matching the one on Skurge. "You may affect his mind, but I control his body now." Bolts ejected from his arm onto others gave him control of their motor functions.
Next to him, Hulk cracked his knuckles, ready to beat an east target. "Game over."
Amora tried harder to help Skurge but to no avail. "To think I tried to convince a green brute like you to work under my control."
Suddenly, all the strange events from the past day started to click. "That was you?" Hulk's fists clenched. "Not Banner?"
Ultimate Frankenstrike was just as surprised. "She was gaslighting you to leave us?!"
The ambient Gamma Radiation in the park increased. "She lit something!"
Hulk raised both fists and Ultimate Frankenstrike supercharged his left arm's muscle fibers in his left arm. The two struck the ground simultaneously, generating a pseudo-earthquake and emitting electric shock waves.
The sheer intensity threw the Executioner and Enchantress away from the others, breaking the Enchantress's concentration.
The Avengers were now free from the witch's spell. Thor held out his hand, summoning Mjolnir to him. Then, he held his mighty hammer aloft, calling a lightning bolt, which sparked and crackled in every direction.
The Enchantress got back up and stood her ground, opposing the prince. "I do not fear your lightning, Odinson. Your magic is nothing against mine."
"You are not my target, witch." Thor stood aside, revealing Iron Man.
Lighting sparks across his armor. "Armor energy reserves at 214%," J.A.R.V.I.S. announced.
The Iron Avenger grinned. Activating his thrusters, he narrowly avoided a slash from a sluggish Executioner, desperately trying to overcome the bolt's control over him.
Tony fired a repulsor blast to his chest, knocking him back to be next to his mistress. Iron Man landed and regrouped with the Avengers. "Take them down." Iron Man ordered as the Avengers charged at their enemies.
Iron Man activated his weapons and charged forward at Skurge. Skurge swung his axe with incredible force, but Iron Man quickly dodged each blow and launched missiles at Skurge.
Skurge, however, was not one to be underestimated. He deftly dodged the missiles and lunged forward, his axe slamming into Iron Man's armor. The impact was tremendous, sending Iron Man flying backward, but he quickly recovered and fired his repulsors at Skurge. Unfortunately, Skurge was hit by the force of the repulsors, sending him flying backward and crashing into a building.
Wasp fired several stingers at the Enchantress, who blocked the attack with a magical shield; she jumped away from Thor's hammer strike before she could counter.
Iron Man took the opportunity to advance, charging at Skurge with a barrage of energy blasts.
Skurge stood up, his armor damaged but still intact, and blocked Iron Man's punches with his axe. The two warriors continued to exchange blows, their weapons clashing in a symphony of destruction.
Iron Man's missiles and repulsors were met with Skurge's massive swings of his axe, and both were determined to come out on top. However, as the fight continued, Skurge gained the upper hand, and his strength and size gave him the advantage. Iron Man was pushed back, his armor taking heavy damage, but he refused to give up.
With those words, Iron Man activated his Unibeam, unleashing a massive blast of energy at Skurge. The beam hit Skurge head-on, his armor taking heavy damage, but he refused to fall. Instead, he lunged forward at Iron Man, swinging his axe with all his might.
Iron Man, however, was ready. He used his repulsors to deflect the axe and punch Skurge in the chest. The impact was enough to send Skurge flying backward, crashing before finally coming to a stop. Then, the inventor refocused his attention on the witch.
At the last moment, the Executioner raised his axe to block a punch from the Hulk, but the green giant's strength proved too strong for the brute, and he was sent sliding back a few meters. Wasp flew forward, firing her stingers at the Executioner's face, but the brute blocked them.
The Asgardian then slammed his blue axe into the ground, causing an icy wave to spread across the floor and freeze Hulk and Ultimate Frankenstrike in place as they charged forward.
Before the two could break out, the Executioner swung his axe again, shattering the ice and sending both heroes flying across the field.
#
Iron Man and Thor struggled against Enchantress, whose magic proved too strong for them. She blocked Thor's blows with a shield, evaded his attacks, and then blasted him with magic, causing him to crash into Giant-Man, who had just woken up, sending them into a lake.
Iron Man attempted to attack with his repulsors, but Enchantress teleported away each time, taunting him. Finally, after another failed attempt, she surrounded Iron Man with green magic and sent him flying into a statue.
Wasp taunted the Executioner while flying around and stinging him, easily avoiding his axe due to her quickness. However, this was a distraction as Hulk appeared and punched the Executioner, sending him flying over the trees.
The Enchantress witnessed the situation and realized that the Avengers were already at an advantage due to their large number. She aimed to balance the playing field, and while she would have preferred to control the shapeshifter, she began with the Hulk instead. The Hulk's head was engulfed in a green glow, and he was under her control, looking directly at her and causing her to smile. "Destroy them all, my creature."
However, the Hulk abruptly halted and shook his head, breaking free from her spell as his gamma energy overpowered the foreign magic. He looked at the Enchantress with wrathful eyes, a clear mind now in control. "No one controls the Hulk!" he declared and slammed his foot into the ground, sending an earthquake straight to the Enchantress, throwing her off balance.
The Avengers seized the opportunity as the Enchantress was down. Iron Man unleashed his Unibeam, while Thor and Ultimate Frankenstrike released lightning bolts. All the strikes converged on the Enchantress's location, resulting in a massive blast.
After the dust settled, Iron Man, Thor, and Ultimate Frankenstrike gathered around the unconscious Enchantress. Despite her bruises and scratches, she was still intact, which only fueled Ultimate Frankenstrike's resentment towards Asgardian invincibility.
As the heroes turned their attention, they were drawn to Giant-Man's moans, who Wasp was helping.
"Watch out!" Wasp suddenly screamed.
The others tried to turn, but the Executioner's axe swiftly swatted them aside. Then, the Asgardian powerhouse lifted the Enchantress onto his shoulder and, with a swift swipe of his axe, opened a portal for their escape before anyone could react.
Giant-Man and Wasp stepped forward as the others struggled to regain footing from the unexpected attack.
"Aah, does somebody want to explain what that was all about?" Giant Man asked, his voice expressing his injuries.
"Ex-girlfriend," answered Frankenstrike, now out of the evolved state.
Thor glared at his friend. "I can assure you, no. They are old enemies from Asgard. The Enchantress finds joy in causing me pain."
Wasp deadpanned. "That sounds just like an Ex."
Ignoring the chuckles from the others, Thor walked up to the Hulk, who stood to the side. "You have won the day, friend Hulk. Truly thou art a warrior to be reckoned with, for few can resist the Enchantress' charms." He held his hand for the Hulk to shake, but the green giant was apprehensive.
Hulk looked over to Ben, and the alien hero could already tell what the giant wanted. Ben gave him a nod and gestured to accept the hand.
The green giant took the offered hand. "Wasn't easy."
"It never is," chuckled Thor.
Iron Man looked at the others, clearly tired and dirty. "Let's head back to the mansion. I think we can all agree that we need some rest."
Frankenstrike and Hulk were the last to leave the area. The former turned to Hulk. "You coming? I'm sure you want to see everyone's faces."
A smirk escaped Hulk's lips. "Yeah..."
Avenger's Mansion
Main Hall
When everyone arrived at the mansion, the others were prepared to get cleaned up and rest. However, they were all stopped by their resident alien hybrid. "Hey, guys. Gather up. I've got something to show you guys."
Wasp wiped her brow. "Can't it wait until after we shower?"
"Trust me. It's better to get this out of the way now." Frankenstrike turned into the same brown-haired human with green eyes back at the park in a flash of green light.
Hulk was amused. Judging by the expression on the other's faces, they were confused. "So you can turn into a human?"
"Isn't that what you always do?" asked Thor.
The cogs in Hank's and Janet's brains turned. "Wait. You said that you're part human. That means-"
Ben smirked. "Yup. This is my birth form. Name's Ben. Ben Tennyson."
Hank apprehensively approached, inspecting his limbs. "You look indistinguishable from a normal human."
The hero gestured to Thor, and they nodded in acceptance. "Considering that everyone here doesn't have a secret identity between us, I figured that this was only fair." Ben turned to the Hulk. "Besides, who can I trust if I can't show a little vulnerability with the people I'm hanging out with trying to save the world?"
The green giant sighed in relief. Perhaps this could turn out better than he thought.
Thor bellowed. "It is good to know you value us so much, dear Ben."
Suffice it to say everyone had some new questions about their new teammate. However, that would have to wait for later. It was getting late.
Ben smirked at his team. "In case you guys are interested, Hulk and I are doing authentic Chicago-style pizza next week."
After hearing voices of agreement and suggestions for another food place the week after, Tony got a notification on his phone. After reading the message, he beamed to the others. "Good news, Hulk. We got your pardon."
The Avengers voiced their surprise. "How'd you pull that off?" asked Hank.
Tony scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Uh... I may or may not have agreed for us to make some compromise with SHIELD to help with legal matters." He held up both hands in defense of the Hulk's expression change. "Rest assured. You'll have the best lawyers money can buy to ensure our rights and independence."
At this point, the others groaned at more paperwork being added to their plate. Wasp pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. We'll talk about it after lunch tomorrow. I'm done with today. As far as first days go, this wasn't so bad."
#
A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, and Seana!
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