The Seventh Avenger

Chapter 8: The Battle of Culver University

EDITED:

The look of horror that Betty wore on her face as she realised that the Hulk was Bruce, only intensified as the sound of gunshots and the soldiers screaming orders to one another fill the air. At the sound of the weapons being fired, I reach for Betty and quickly shove her body behind mine, keeping my eyes trained on Ross' men across the lawn. My eyes narrow on the guns that they were aiming at Bruce, but with a quick snap of my wrists, I create a sudden and huge gust of wind that sends the bullets of course and harmlessly into the nearby trees.

With the soldiers now pausing, momentarily distracted by their sudden confusion as to why none of their bullets hit their intended target, I grab Betty firmly by her wrist and start to pull her away soldiers and the still roaring Hulk. I drag her back towards her father- even though he was probably one of the last people that she wanted to be near at the moment- who wore a pleased smirk on his face as he watched the chaos unfolding in front of him. The sight causes my blood to boil with rage, and it takes everything within me not to march forward and knock it right of his arrogant face. Managing to keep my cool, however, I regrettably don't do this and instead gently hand Betty of towards two soldiers. "I need to go and help those men," I inform her. "I need you to stay here, and keep out of the crossfire while I do so, OK?"

She barely nods her head at this, clearly still in shock about having seen the Hulk for the first time.

Not one hundred percent convinced that she wouldn't attempt to break away and run straight to Bruce if she was given the opportunity- due to her having done so twice earlier- I turn to one of the soldiers standing beside her. "Watch her," I order, waiting until he agrees before I then turn on my heel and run straight back towards the fray, briefly hearing Ross call out, "Where are the fifty cals? Move your asses!"

The sound of engines roaring behind me informs me that more vehicles have entered the university grounds, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that these contained weapons. The university was fast on the way becoming a war zone with Ross issuing more orders for more weapons and men, and I knew that he would only continue to do so until he either had Bruce or Bruce somehow managed to escape.

Hopefully, it was the latter.

I watch as the two vehicles roar past me and zoom directly towards the green creature, two men on the top of them wielding machine guns that they were preparing to aim at Bruce, the sight causing my stomach to drop with dread.

It appears that I didn't have anything to worry about, however, as the Hulk rams into the side of one of the oncoming vehicles. He does so so hard, that it tips on its wheels and lands with a crash on its side. But it doesn't stop there, as it continues to topple over onto its back. The soldier who had originally been standing on the top of the vehicle lets out a scream as he realises that he won't have enough time to escape. Acting instinctively, I jerk my hands towards him and use a gust of wind to fling him out from underneath the vehicle just in time, before it crushes him to death. As he topples to the ground, I pause momentarily as I lower my hands, wanting to ensure that he wasn't hurt. Only when he starts to pull himself to his feet do I turn my back on him and rush towards the Hulk once more.

Instead of ramming into the second vehicle as he had for the first, the Hulk simply grabs the second vehicle off from the ground, lifting it easily, as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. He swings it above his head and lets out another roar, this one even louder than the first. With another jerk of my hand, I send the men in the vehicle out and flying through the air away from both it and the Hulk, just as he slams it down on a sculpture beside him. Bits of metal fly throughout the air on impact, with soldiers running and screaming at one another from all directions. There were so many voices in the air that I couldn't discern what even one of them was saying, though I stop trying to when I notice a wounded soldier laying on the ground near the Hulk.