Marvel’s Omnitrix

Chapter 27: When Titans Clash

—

The heart of Harlem had become ground zero for a nightmare made flesh.

Two massive figures, each easily nine feet of raw muscle and pure fury, traded blows that shattered concrete like brittle glass. The Hulk's fist connected with Abomination's jaw, and the impact caused a shockwave that blew out every window in a three-block radius. Glass rained down like deadly confetti, sparkling in the evening lights.

Abomination recovered with inhuman speed, and his bony protrusions gleamed as he drove an elbow into Hulk's ribs. The green goliath stumbled backward, his massive feet leaving craters in the asphalt. Cars parked along the street crumpled under his weight like aluminum cans.

"ARGH! HULK SMASH UGLY MONSTER!" The roar echoed off building facades, like cosmic rage given voice.

"I am not a monster!" Abomination snarled back. His voice was a guttural rasp that somehow retained traces of Emil Blonsky's accent. "I am the next step in evolution!"

He punctuated his declaration by grabbing a taxi and swinging it like a baseball bat. The vehicle connected with Hulk's shoulder, exploding into twisted metal and shattered plastic. The impact barely fazed the green giant, who responded by tearing a fire hydrant from the ground and hurling it like a missile.

Water erupted in a geyser as Abomination dodged, the hydrant embedding itself in a storefront behind him. The cascade of water mixed with debris created muddy rivers that flowed through the devastated street.

Military helicopters circled overhead like mechanical vultures, their searchlights cutting through the dust and smoke. Machine gun fire rattled from their mounted weapons, bullets sparking harmlessly off both creatures' hides. 

One chopper ventured too close – Hulk leaped impossibly high, catching its landing skid and dragging it down. The pilots barely escaped before it crashed into an abandoned bus, the resulting fireball adding to the apocalyptic scene.

Three blocks away, a surprised Grandpa Max burst through the doors of a Key Food supermarket, his arms laden with grocery bags that seemed absurdly mundane given the chaos erupting nearby. Gwen followed close behind, her face pale as another explosion shook the ground.

"What in the name of…" Max's words died as he took in the destruction. Smoke flowed between buildings, punctuated by flashes of green as the titans continued their battle.

"Grandpa, we need to help!" Gwen's hands already glowed with magical energy, her charms pulsing in response to her emotions.

"No. We need to get these people to safety first," Max replied as he dropped the groceries, his military training kicking in as he assessed the situation. 

Civilians ran in every direction, some frozen in terror, others recording with their phones despite the obvious danger. A red and blue blur dropped from the sky, landing gracefully atop an overturned bus mere yards from them. Spider-Man's lenses widened as he surveyed the carnage.

"Holy webbing hell," the wall-crawler muttered, his usual quips dying in his throat. "This is way above my pay grade. And I don't even get paid!"

He spun toward the gathering crowd, his voice carrying command despite his obvious nervousness. "Okay people, unless you've got a death wish or really good insurance, I suggest you RUN! Like, now! This isn't a spectator sport!"

As if to emphasize his point, a chunk of concrete the size of a refrigerator came hurtling through the air, torn from a building by one of the combatants. Spider-Man's spider-sense screamed – he fired a web-line, but the projectile was moving too fast, aimed directly at a frozen businessman who stood slack-jawed in the street.

The web missed by inches.

Time seemed to slow as death approached the helpless civilian. Then purple energy enveloped the concrete block, stopping it mere feet from impact. Gwen stood with both hands extended, sweat beading on her forehead as she redirected the massive projectile into an empty lot.

Spider-Man's lenses contracted to dots. "Did you just—? How did you—? What?"

"Less gawking, more helping!" Gwen snapped, already moving to shield a group of tourists with a telekinetic barrier as more debris rained down. "The normal-looking green one – he's not the bad guy! Stop the one with all the bones sticking out!"

"Stop him?" Spider-Man's voice cracked slightly as he watched Abomination pick up an entire city bus and use it to club Hulk across the face. "Yeah, sure, I'll just walk up and ask him nicely to stop. 'Excuse me, Mr. Bone Monster, would you mind keeping it down? Some of us are trying to live here!' I'm not the Thing!"

Despite his protests, the web-slinger shot off toward the battle, continuing his ramble about needing a raise he didn't get. No wait, how does she even know who's the good guy? 

Meanwhile, Jessica Jones landed hard on the cracked pavement nearby, her enhanced legs absorbing the impact of a thirty-foot jump. A sedan flew through the air above her – thrown by one of the monsters, she couldn't tell which – heading straight for a mother clutching two young children.

Jessica didn't hesitate. 

She leaped again, meeting the car mid-flight with a devastating kick. The vehicle's trajectory changed, sending it crashing harmlessly into an already-demolished storefront. She landed in a crouch, wincing as her ankle protested the abuse.

"Nice save, Jewel!" Ben called out as he sprinted past. "Clear the civilians, I'm going in!"

"Going in?" Jessica's eyes widened. "Ben, wait, I think they're too strong—!"

But he was already activating the Omnitrix, the familiar green glow washing over him as he slammed down the dial. His form expanded rapidly, muscles bulging as his skin turned crimson. A second pair of arms burst from his sides as he grew to match the monsters' height.

"FOUR ARMS!" The battle cry announced his transformation to the world.

****

The ground shook with each impact as Hulk and Abomination circled each other like prehistoric predators. Buildings bore the scars of their conflict – walls caved in, windows blown out, entire floors exposed to the open air.

Hulk's chest heaved with exertion, his healing factor working overtime to repair the damage from Abomination's bone spurs. Green blood – if it could be called that – dripped from numerous cuts, sizzling where it hit the pavement.

Abomination looked no better, one eye swollen shut and several of his protruding bones cracked or broken. But his grin remained feral, savage. "Getting tired, Banner? The great Hulk brought low by a real soldier!"

"HULK... STRONGEST... THERE IS!" Each word came with labored breath, but the fury behind them remained undimmed.

They charged simultaneously, fists cocked back for what would surely be a collision of catastrophic proportions. The very air seemed to compress between them as they closed the distance. When those fists met, the shockwave would level buildings, shatter every piece of glass for miles, maybe even—

A red figure dropped from the sky like a meteor.

Four Arms landed in a perfect three-point stance between the titans, his two upper arms shooting out to catch their fists before they could connect. The impact still sent a shockwave rippling outward, but contained, controlled. The pavement beneath Four Arms cracked in a spider web pattern, but held.

For a moment, perfect silence reigned.

Then chaos erupted anew.

"WHAT?!" Abomination roared, trying to wrench his fist free. "Another freak?"

Hulk's reaction was more direct – he swung with his free hand, aiming to crush this new interloper. Four Arms ducked under the haymaker, using his lower arms to sweep Hulk's legs while his upper arms maintained their grip on both monsters' fists.

The Hulk toppled backward, more from surprise than the actual force of the sweep. Four Arms released both fists and backflipped away as Abomination tried to grab him.

"Okay, big guys," Four Arms said, his voice carrying Ben's characteristic cockiness despite the situation. "How about we talk this out like civilized... giant... monster... people?"

I never realized how large Four Arms actually is in the cartoon, Ben thought as he observed his peers. The response was predictable. Both Hulk and Abomination attacked him simultaneously.

Four Arms found himself playing defense against two of the physically strongest beings on Earth. He ducked under Hulk's wild swing, blocked Abomination's knee strike with crossed arms, then had to leap straight up to avoid being caught between them as they rushed each other again.

"Or not! Talking rarely works anyway!"

From the sidelines, Spider-Man watched in stunned amazement. "Is that guy seriously going toe-to-toe with both of them? Where do I sign up for whatever vitamins he's taking?"

"That's uh, Four Arms," Jessica said, landing beside him after depositing another group of civilians at a safe distance. She looked shocked that her situationship was this strong, but didn't let that distract her. "He's got this thing about playing hero."

"You know the red four-armed guy? Wait, and who are you? Wait wait, no way, is everyone in New York secretly super-powered except me?"

"...."

Gwen arrived, floating on a disc of invisible telekinetic energy with several injured civilians. "Less chatting, more evacuating! And Ben better know what he's doing..."

Back in the fight, Four Arms had managed to separate himself from Hulk for a brief moment, focusing on Abomination. The bone-covered monster was skilled, trained, but Four Arms had something he didn't – experience in fighting as a large monster, and the instincts of a battle-hungry Tetramand.

In the movie, Hulk wins by strangling him with chains, Ben thought as he parried a series of brutal strikes. But that was after way more collateral damage. Time to speed things up.

He caught Abomination's next punch with his upper right hand, used his upper left to strike the monster's elbow joint, then brought both lower fists up in a devastating uppercut that sent Abomination flying.

"HULK'S FIGHT!" The green goliath roared, charging at Four Arms from behind.

Well shit, this is becoming a 2v1. Ben didn't like that. He was certain the two would kill him if it kept going like this. Four Arms spun, catching Hulk's fist again, but this time he didn't try to stop it – he redirected it, using Hulk's own momentum to send him crashing into Abomination just as the latter was getting up.

"Listen, big green!" Four Arms shouted as the two monsters untangled themselves. "I'm trying to help you! The ugly one with the bones – he's the bad guy! I'm on your side!"

Hulk paused, his primitive mind processing this information. His head tilted slightly, like a confused dog.

"Ugly... one?" He looked at Abomination, then back at Four Arms. "Red man... help Hulk?"

"Yes! Red man help Hulk smash bone man!"

"You stupid bastards—" Abomination's protest was cut short as Hulk's massive fist connected with his jaw, sending him spinning.

"HULK AND RED MAN SMASH TOGETHER!"

Four Arms grinned. "Now you're talking my language!"

What followed was less a fight and more a brutal dismantling. Abomination, for all his strength and training, couldn't handle both opponents at once. Four Arms held him in place with all four arms while Hulk delivered haymaker after haymaker. When Abomination tried to use his bone spurs, Four Arms would shift his grip, leaving the monster open for another devastating hit.

"This isn't possible!" Abomination snarled through broken teeth. "I am the ultimate warrior! I am—"

"Really annoying," Four Arms finished, releasing his hold just as Hulk grabbed Abomination by the leg. The green giant spun like an Olympic hammer thrower, building momentum before releasing Abomination into the side of an already-damaged building.

The structure groaned but held as Abomination slid down its face, leaving a trail of green blood. He tried to stand, stumbled, and Four Arms leaped ahead to slam his fist on the top of his head. Aboßmination's eyes spun, and he collapsed face-first onto the rubble-strewn street.

For a moment, Hulk and Four Arms stood side by side, both breathing heavily. Then Hulk turned, his eyes narrowing as he focused on his temporary ally.

"Red man strong," Hulk growled, his fists clenching. "But Hulk strongest."

Four Arms raised all four hands in a placating gesture. "No argument here, big guy. You're definitely the strongest. We not enemies, okay?"

They stared at each other, tension building. The watching crowd held its breath. Even Spider-Man had stopped making jokes.

Then Hulk snorted, turned, and leaped away in a single bound that carried him over the surrounding buildings and out of sight. Four Arms stood alone in the devastated street, surrounded by destruction but having prevented so much more. 

"And that," he said to no one in particular, "is how you minimize collateral damage in a superhero fight."

"You did great!" Spider-Man waved at him.

"Thanks man," Four Arms gave him four thumbs up.

He looked down at the unconscious Abomination, then at the assembled crowd of civilians, heroes, and one very worried-looking grandfather. The Omnitrix symbol on his chest began flashing red. He blinked and turned around, leaping away from the hundreds of eyes as soon as he could.

Even so, a slow smile spread across his face.

He'd done it. The Harlem incident couldn't be stopped, but the death toll, the destruction – he'd managed to contain it. No collapsed buildings, no massive casualties. 

In the distance, sirens wailed as emergency services finally dared to approach. The battle was over, but Ben knew this was just the beginning. The world had seen the Omnitrix in action on a massive scale.

There would be consequences.

But it was alright, for he'd saved lives. 

This had been a great Hero Time. And that was enough.

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Author Note: A bit late in posting sorry, been outside the entire day! Looks like we didn't meet the goal. Unfortunate. I'll keep the goal same, Top 7, which is not much ahead of us right now (we're top 10). If we meet it today, I'll post 3 chapters at once instead of just two. Increasing it to motivate yall. Start voting!!