NOVEL SIMPLE Ch: 2 [Mutants]
'Logan?! Am I back in the Marvel universe? If so, which reality or timeline... I gotta find out.'
Bruce's keen eyes studied the man standing before him. There was no mistaking it—those claws, that gruff voice. This was Logan, the Wolverine. But which version of the Marvel universe had he landed in? And more importantly, was this Logan an ally or an enemy?
"Answer me, bub," Logan growled, taking a step forward. The claws on his hands gleamed menacingly in the moonlight.
Bruce remained silent, his expression stoic behind the mask of his suit. He studied Logan carefully, analyzing the situation. He looked agitated, his eyes filled with suspicion. And considering the location, what the heck was Wolverine doing in such a dense forest? Maybe he is chasing someone? Bruce wondered as he kept silent, waiting for Logan to make the next move.
"Not the talkative type huh? And you don't exactly smell like human either," Logan grunted, his nostrils flaring slightly as he took another step forward. "Fine, I'll make ya talk!" His claws extended out as he prepared to attack Bruce.
"Don't. You'll die if I hit you," Bruce said calmly, raising his hand in warning.
"Ha! Yer threatening me?!" Logan sneered as he lunged forward, his claws flashing in the moonlight as he attacked Bruce aiming for his chest.
But instead of the expected resistance or dodging, Bruce just stood there. The claws connected with his suit sparks flying as metal met an indestructible material. Logan's claws, known for cutting through nearly anything, barely left a scratch on his suit. Bruce’s muscles tensed slightly under the impact, but he didn't flinch, his stance unyielding.
'The Amazonium metal seems holding out better than I expected. Just a minor scratch...' Bruce smirked.
Logan's eyes widened in surprise, his instincts kicking in as he quickly backed off, landing in a crouched position a few feet away. He watched Bruce warily. The man hadn't even budged, and Logan had felt the impact—like striking an immovable object. The smell wasn't human, and this guy definitely wasn't a mutant either. Something was off, and that made him all the more dangerous.
Bruce finally spoke, his voice calm but with an edge of authority, "I'm not here to fight you, Logan. I just need a couple of answers and I'll be on my way."
Logan's brow furrowed as he took another drag from his cigar, smoke curling up into the night air. "You know who I am, but I don't know you. That doesn't sit right with me, bub." He eyed Bruce, trying to get a read on him. "And what the hell are you made of? Ain't many things can shrug off adamantium like that."
Bruce’s expression remained impassive. He caught life signs of three more humans around the area. "Let’s just say I’ve been through a lot to get here. But I’m not your enemy." He raised a hand slightly, a gesture meant to defuse the tension. "I'm just as lost. So, how about you stop pointing those claws at me, and we have a chat? Or, I'll just beat the shit out of you, then we'll have that chat."
Logan straightened up slightly but kept his claws extended, ready to strike if needed. "Lost, huh? You expect me to believe that?" He took another puff from his cigar, eyeing Bruce warily. "Yer pretty strong, bub. Not sure if I wanna mess with you. But I ain't gonna let ya leave till you tell me what yer after. Only a handful of our kind knows about this place. So, spit it out—who sent ya?"
Bruce sighed internally. Wolverine is a stubborn bastard, especially when it comes to protecting his friends. He could see that Logan was trying his best to keep talking instead of blindly attacking. The fact that those three mutants hiding in the shadows wasn't helping either. Bruce was sure they were calling for backup. He heard a couple of beeping sound.
"Sigh!" Bruce sighed, shaking his head. He flew up high in the sky and looked around. As far as his eyes go, there were only forest areas with no city or any technological structure. 'Hmm! Nothing but forests and mountains... what the heck?! Where the fuck am I? Amazon or something?!' His eyes narrowed in thought.
A sudden rustling in the trees below caught his attention. His enhanced senses kicked in, alerting him to the oncoming attack.
Bruce’s reaction was instant. He angled his body just as the red beam shot up towards him, meeting it head-on with his own heat vision. The two beams collided in mid-air, causing a massive explosion of red energy. The force of the blast pushed Cyclops back slightly as he tried to maintain the beam.
"Arrrgg!!" Cyclops pushed more as he fell to his knees, unable to withstand the pressure.
"Impressive," Bruce muttered to himself. Cyclops was strong, but Bruce was stronger. He poured more power into his heat vision, slowly pushing the beam back towards its source. But decided to miss it by an inch. He never wanted to kill or hurt anyone.
[Boooom!] The trees and ground shattered, sending debris flying everywhere as Bruce's heat vision crashed into the earth, creating a large crater.
Logan dashed back, avoiding the flying debris. 'Damn! That guy really packs a punch!' He glanced at Cyclops, who had been blown back quite a distance, lying unconscious.
But Cyclops wasn’t alone.
Swirling clouds rapidly covered the clear night sky, covering the moon and stars. Bruce could feel the atmospheric pressure shifting as lightning crackled ominously in the clouds. Before he could react, a bolt of lightning struck him from above. The force of the impact would have been enough to fry an ordinary person, but to Bruce, it was just another source to charge up his nanites, and thanks to his lightning ring, he was kinda immune to it.
"Really? Lightning?" Bruce said, more amused than anything as he felt the nanites in his suit absorbing the electrical energy. He could sense the boost in power as the suit’s systems charged up, humming with energy. He looked down at the ground, where he spotted Storm flying up toward him with her eyes glowing white, controlling the weather with her usual elegance and precision. A barrage of lightning bolts rained down on him.
Bruce calmly held out his hand, catching a bolt of lightning with ease. He felt the electric current surging through his suit and into his body, increasing his overall power. He also charged up his lighting right to max. 'If this is the power she's throwing around, might as well test out my ring too.' He smirked.
Storm's eyes widened in surprise as she watched Bruce absorb the lightning. "He's absorbing the lightning!!" But instead of losing focus, she summoned a tornado, surrounding Bruce with wind and lightning. She had already seen Cyclops fall to this man, so she was taking no chances.
Bruce smirked as the tornado surrounded him, locking him in place. He took a deep breath and blew the air out, using the air pressure to counter the tornado. He then stretched out his hand and fired a powerful lightning beam at Storm, but she countered it by swiftly flying out of the way.
'Haa... That's Storm for ya,' Bruce mused to himself as he watched Storm fly around him, summoning thunderbolts and hurricanes in a flurry of attacks. Her cape billowed out behind her as she weaved intricate patterns in the sky. Bruce admired her elegant movements as he blocked each of her attacks.
Meanwhile, Logan stayed back, observing the battle silently. He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against this guy, but there ain't no way he was just going to sit around. He uprooted a nearby tree and hurled it at Bruce with all his strength.
Bruce glanced behind him and caught the tree easily with one hand. "Really?!" He hurled it at Storm.
[Crackle!] A bolt of lightning shattered the tree in mid-air as Storm dodged it effortlessly, directing her attention back to Bruce. At the same time, the temperature around him fell rapidly as Iceman made his move. A wave of cold air surged up from below, instantly freezing the moisture in the air into solid ice. In seconds, Bruce found himself encased in a thick layer of ice that would have immobilized most opponents.
"Humf!" He broke free with raw strength.
Iceman made a slope of ice and slid up in the sky, spinning around and shooting Bruce with ice shards. Storm summoned an ice blizzard, combining their attacks as they bombarded Bruce with a torrent of ice, wind, and lightning.
"ENOUGH!" Bruce yelled. His voice shook the atmosphere as the air rippled outward.
The weather immediately calmed down as Storm and Iceman froze in place. They felt the bloodlust emanating from Bruce, filling them with dread. It felt like a predator staring down its prey—a feeling of utter helplessness. All the countless battles they fought till now flashed through their minds, but nothing compared to the overwhelming presence Bruce exuded. They were both mutants—powerful in their own right—but before him, they felt like ants.
Logan shuddered as he felt the bloodlust.
"I told you I am not an enemy. Why the fuck are you attacking me out of nowhere? You retards or something? Can we talk like sane people?!" Bruce said with a stern face, looking at Storm and Iceman.
"Sentinels!!" A familiar-looking woman yelled from the ground. It was Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk. Bruce recognized her at a single glance. "They're coming!!" His eyes fell on the locket hanging around her neck. It was his gift for her birthday. He blinked before her with a crackle of lightning. There were scars on her right cheek and her left arm looked injured and wrapped in bandages.
'What the hell?! She has healing factor..' He wondered.
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