* DISCLAIMER * This is a non-profit work of fan-fiction involving characters created and owned by Marvel Comics Group. This story contains plenty of very very EXPLICIT VIOLENCE, gratuitious action without any plot whatsoever and some RELIGIOUS THEMES. If any of these bother you, please do not read the story. * WRITTEN BY * Samy Merchi * ARCHIVED AT * http://mash.yok.utu.fi/corona.html * STARRING * SAMUEL ZACHERY GUTHRIE and THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF APOCALYPSE in ******* * WAR * ******* * CONTINUITY * This story takes place * in my Shadows of the Future timeline http://mash.yok.utu.fi/corona/sotf.html * in year 16 (three years in the future) * in September, the summer's starting to be over * about two months after APOCALYPSO *** **************** * CHAPTER FOUR * **************** *** BWHROOM! ((What've you gotten yourself into now, Peter?)) Spider-Man's eyes were wide behind his mask as he hurtled thru the air like a skeet from the shockwave of the thermokinetic blast that tore up the lamppost where he had been perching only a fraction of a second ago. "ARRRGH!" a cry sounded out from the explosion-obscured area around the lamppost, under worse fire than the Berlin bombings had ever been, rivaling the intensity of being at the ground zero of a gamma bomb, everything being ground into dust and ash by the raging energies tearing the street apart. "My god! She-Hulk! Ghost Rider!" Spider-Man gasped as his incredible agility brought him back into balance in mid-air, allowing him to land on his feet, staring at the assemblage before him -- the culprits of the total and utter demolition of a large part of New York's Hell's Kitchen area. "'And he that *blasphemeth* the name of the LORD", War proclaimed as he hovered above the shoulders of Death and Pestilence, ensheathed in a dull orange blast field, "he shall surely be put to *death*, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to *death*.' Leviticus 24:16." "'And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.' Leviticus 24:17." War froze in mid-air, his eyes widening behind his golden full-face mask and his head snapping towards the speaker. The Black Panther was perched atop a wreck of a car, in a crouch, his narrow golden eyes meeting War's. Unyielding. Uncompromising. Unhesitating. "Waitaminute!" Spider-Man's voice cut into the stare match. "I know those ears -- Cannonball??" War hissed, breaking the stare match and turning to glare at Spider-Man. "Pestilence! Death!" he barked out angrily. "ELIMINATE HIM!" Pestilence started cracking his knuckles, smirking wickedly. "With pleas--" However, a roar cut him off, as Death leaped across the street towards the far smaller man, his fingers tearing thru the air in front of him hungrily, preparing to rip into shreds their target, and anything that would come in-between. "Oboy!" Spider-Man blinked, and leaped high, flipping over Death and landing in a crouch behind the behemoth. "DIE!" Pestilence shouted, and buffed his chest outwards. Half a dozen sharp bone spears exploded out, blood spattering from them as they lanced thru the air towards Spider-Man. THWIP! "Not by those little shish-kebab sticks!" Spider-Man replied as a spray of webbing caught the spears in mid-air. "Don't you know running around with sharp objects can be hazardous to your health?" he asked as he barely ducked underneath a ferocious slash of Death's arm -- the grasping fingers tearing a gash thru the top of his mask -- and slung his webline around like a bola, using the spears at the end as a weight. "Ngh!" Death growled as the spears spun around him and wrapped the webline several times over his torso. Then, he laughed, and snapped the webbing around him to bits as if they were paper. "You thought that would hold me?" he bellowed. "Um, yeah", Spider-Man watched with wide eyes, and leaped to the side as Death charged at him. "WHUNGH!" he wheezed as the massive body glanced off his side, feeling like an eighteen-wheeler had just rammed into him. "Emphasis...on the past tense..." he groaned as he crashed headlong onto the asphalt, shaking his head to clear it. ((What've I...gotten myself into...?? He's as...strong as the Hulk...as fast and crazy as Sabretooth...)) He blinked as a shadow cast itself over him. ((And worse)), he thought, glancing upwards as his Spider-sense buzzed like an air raid alarm, ((he's not alone.)) "YEARRRR!" Pestilence roared as he slashed his arms down from on high, the bone blades on his wrists cutting thru the air straight towards Spider-Man. "HEY!" Spider-Man shouted as he leaped backwards, clinging to the side of a car wreck. "You could put someone's eye out with those things! And are you paying royalties to Killer Shrike for the design, anyway?" "We'll *pay* in your *blood*!" Death snarled as he ran towards Spider-Man, hands again clawing at the air in front of him in preparation. "Yeah yeah yeah", Spider-Man said. "Always knew villains were cheapskates." THWIP! "WHAT?!" Death hissed as his face was splashed with webbing, covering his eyes and blinding him. Stumbling to a stop, he clutched and clawed at the webbing. "Now, before you get rid of that", Spider-Man continued, flipping thru the air, landing with a thud in a crouch on Death's back, knocking the behemoth for a stumble forward, "let me introduce you to my friend, Centrifugal Force." FWAP! In a fraction of a second, Spider-Man's feet detached from Death's back, and he flipped in mid-air, keeping his hands clinging to the Horseman, yanked the behemoth off his feet with the force of his flip, and then let go. "Crule!" Pestilence gasped as his fellow Horseman hurtled thru the air towards him. WHAMMO! The pair of Horsemen smashed into a car which exploded in a ball of fire as it skidded along the street for a good dozen feet from the force of the throw. "Oh my god! Did I kill them?!" Spider-Man gasped, watching the burning car wreck, the white lenses of his mask wide in horror. "RARRRGH!" Death roared as he ripped the flaming wreck in half, throwing the halves to the sides, and then tore the webbing from his face. "You're going to *pay* for this indignity, flea!" "Spider", Spider-Man pointed out as he watched Death start stalking towards him. "Where's a factory when I need one -- I feel like Linda Hamilton", he commented. "Only with less breasts." He thought a moment. "Not by much, though." *** "'The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.' Isaiah 34:6-10." "'And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.' 1 Samuel 17:47", the Black Panther replied without batting an eye as he stared at War. "'Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.' Luke 6:36-37." War hissed in fury behind his blast field, his fists clenching, his fingernails digging into his skin. "'Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.' Deuteronomy 13:13-15." "'Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.' Exodus 23:7. 'And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.' Zechariah 8:17", the Black Panther responded. "'For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.' Matthew 24:24. 'For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.' 2 Corinthians 11:13." War's expression wavered slightly in hesitation, his blast field dulling up slightly and becoming a bit quieter of a rumble. In a fraction of a second, the Panther was leaping thru the air, foot poised in front of him in a leap kick as he shot towards War. KRAK! "UNGH!" War gasped as a glowing electric blue sole passed thru his blast field as if it wasn't even there, and smashed straight into his jaw. His blast field vanished instantly, and he crashed down to the asphalt, groaning incoherently, as the Panther landed nimbly into a crouch a few feet away. *** "Guthrie!" Pestilence shouted, as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet, near a blazing wreck of half a car. Gritting his teeth, he enlarged the bone blades on his wrists, and rushed towards the Black Panther's back. *** POW! A punch which would have indented steel or smashed thru brick walls smashed straight into Death's face. ((Oh, swell)), Spider-Man thought as he flipped back out of Death's reach, rubbing his knuckles. ((That worked fine. I think I made him *blink*. It's like fighting the Abomination.)) "By Mitra, flea, you are *tiresome*!" Death hissed, as he tore a lamppost from the ground, and swung it towards Spider-Man. "DIE already!" "Mitra?" Spider-Man blinked as he vaulted over the lamppost, then touched it with one palm while it was still within his reach, clung to it, and with a sudden wrench, yanked the metal pole from Death's hands. "Gimme that thing before you hurt someone!" ((I've heard that somewhere else -- but where --??)) Then, his eyes widened. "Sonja! Red Sonja!" "You knew the wench?" Death laughed, unflinching as the lamppost smashed to the side of his head and bent from the impact. Spider-Man hesitated for a moment as memories flashed thru his mind of the time he had battled the sorcerer Kulan Gath in a museum alongside the time-displaced she-warrior.* "You knew her too?" he asked in astonishment. [* MARVEL TEAM-UP (vol.1.) #79 -- Mnemonic Merchi] "Knew her?" Death laughed again, colder and deeper than before. "I *killed* her." His smirk widened as he watched Spider-Man. "But not before torturing and breaking her...in *every* way a woman can be." "NO!" Spider-Man shouted, his features twisting in rage behind his mask as he leaped forward, streaking thru the air like a bullet with fists clenched. SKA-POW! Death took a finger to the corner of his mouth, touching slightly, and then brought the finger in front of his eyes. "Blood", he smiled. "A good effort, *flea*." KRAKOW! Death rubbed his jaw slightly at the second strike, watching Spider-Man with bemusement. ((I can't --)) Spider-Man grimaced behind his mask, wrestling with his conscience as he watched Death's bulk towering over him, going to rip him to shreds the moment his efforts ceased to amuse the Horseman. He gritted his teeth slightly. ((I'll never do this again --)) WHAM! "OOGG!" Death's eyes widened as Spider-Man's knee smashed to his groin. He remained frozen for a few heartbeats, then crashed to the asphalt, clutching the impacted area. "That was for *Sonja*", Spider-Man gasped as his heart thumped, breath passing back and forth rapidly thru his mask, from exhaustion, having put every ounce of strength he had in him to the last three attacks. And now... ((Spider-sense buzzing!!)) THAP! "You're going to *pay* for that humiliation", Death growled as his iron grip tightened around Spider-Man's ankle. "Again?" Spider-Man blinked. "I donated blood this month already, how about my wife's Mastercard?" *** The Black Panther ducked underneath Pestilence's slash, tucked himself into a ball and rolled backwards, between the Horseman's legs, then sprang up behind him, and smashed his foot to the back of Pestilence's skull. "UNGH!" Pestilence gasped as he toppled headlong onto the asphalt, groaning groggily from the blow. T'Challa was streaking thru the air before Pestilence had hit the ground, leaping over the Horseman and towards another one. A dagger flashed out of his glove, crackling electric blue energy serving as the blade, as he prepared to sink it into the stunned War. BWA-THOOM! "WHOULFF!" the Black Panther wheezed as a thermokinetic blast exploded outwards in every direction from War, blasting the Avenger thru the air like a cannonball. "There", War snarled as he got back up onto his feet, wincing and holding his jaw slightly as he felt a jolt of pain radiate from it as he spoke. He frowned darker, and then looked around the devastated neighborhood. With a motion, he ensheathed himself in the dull orange blast field again. A thoughtful eyebrow quirked, and then the rumbling of the field faded away and the field became completely silent. "Ow!" Pestilence winced as War first whacked him on the shoulder, and then pointed towards Famine's unconscious form. "Gotcha", he responded. "We pulling out?" War nodded, and then turned his head to watch the Black Panther plummet down from the sky. His lips pulled into a little smile. At least he'd get to see the Avenger smashed by the fall. The Black Panther fell calmly, falling downwards in a crouch. The soles of his boots glowed electric blue, and then -- touchdown. He was crouching there as if he always had, with no visible impact evident from the fall. An eyebrow quirked on War's face, but that was the totality of his reaction. He stared a moment, then glanced towards the three golden-hued robot steeds waiting off at the sidelines. He pointed towards Death, and Pestilence who was running towards Famine, and the mounts responded. Taking to the air, they flew towards their masters, preparing to pick them up. THRAKOW! One of the steeds exploded in a shower of shrapnel as a hammer blasted straight thru it, then reverted course 180 degrees and streaked back thru the air until it was snatched up by the firm grasp of an Asgardian thunder god hovering up in the sky. *** THWAMM! Spider-Man slammed hard against the street, cracking the black asphalt and staining it with red blood that the tatters of his costume were already soaked with. He wasn't resisting anymore as Death swung him around and smashed him against anything and everything in vicinity. He was way beyond consciousness. "Pardon me", a freezing voice came, along with a tap at Death's shoulder from behind. "Hnh?" Death glanced over his shoulder, forgetting Spider-Man for an instant. WHAMMO! Two piledriver fists smashed to Death's jaw and sent him streaking along the street for several dozen yards before he finally hit the ground and grooved the asphalt for another several dozen yards before finally coming to a stop. She-Hulk and Ghost Rider were standing side-by-side where Death had been a moment ago, their fists still clenched. The latter's spiked black leather outfit was merely tattered from War's earlier blast, revealing a skeleton and flaming hellfire thru the outfit's holes. Some were not as lucky. She-Hulk's gray business suit had been almost completely devastated by the fiery explosion, reduced to a few charred shreds hanging over her and not covering her strategic locations. "This is what comes out of appearing in fanfics", she muttered. "No Comics Code seal to make sure the naughty bits stay covered. I'll get you yet, Merchi." "Innocent blood has been spilled", Ghost Rider's voice crackled as he ignored She-Hulk's words. "There must be *vengeance*!" His eyes were locked on Death as the purple behemoth slowly got up back onto his feet. With a chink, Ghost Rider detached the chain that went around his chest, and charged towards the Horseman, twirling his chain faster than the eye could follow. "Damn", She-Hulk gritted her teeth, eager to join the fight, but instead kneeling beside the broken, bloody and unmoving body of Spider-Man. Testing for pulse at his throat, she gritted her teeth as she found none. "Great", she snapped as she put her hands to his chest and pumped roughly a few times before pulling the lower half of his mask up and leaned down to breathe into his mouth. "If this works, you'd better never remind me of this, buster..." she grumbled. *** "Thor", Pestilence hissed, glancing up at the figure in the sky as he lifted a groaning Famine atop one of the two mechanical steeds standing beside the Horsemen. "Aye, villain", Thor hissed as his furious eyes locked onto the grouping of two Horsemen and their respective steeds. A nice, good target. "And thou shalt forevermore rue the day when thou didst cross the path of one who is *warrior born*!" He started twirling his hammer faster, and the skies darkened, starting to crackle with little golden lightning bolts rapidly growing in intensity as if massing up power. And then, he felt his cape be yanked on. BUH-WHOOOM! "Hngh!" Thor gasped as a thermokinetic explosion blasted over him, knocking away his winged helmet, but the worst brunt of it missed him just barely as the yank tugged him away from the center of the blast. His clothes smoldering slightly from the thermal effect of the blast, he glanced in the direction from whence the yank had come. "Justice!" "Couldn't resist the temptation to tug on a red cape..." Justice forced a smile and then winced, leaning back against a wrecked car, his head throbbing hard from the day's exertions, barely any strength left in him. "Ah've *led* warrior borns before, Thor", War glared up at the sky. "That don't impress me much." Everyone else stopped fighting each other on the background, moved into a line behind War and started grooving and dancing while singing, o/~ Oh / oh / oooh! o/~ War glanced over his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow. Everyone froze, quickly broke the line up and returned to beating on each other. Narrowing his eyes, War held his open palm upwards, a rumbling growing in it, then he flung his arm outwards towards the car Justice was leaning against, glaring at Justice. "'And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.' Acts 23:12. Time t' pay for you and yoah peoples' crimes!" "NO!" Justice gasped, knowing there was no way in the world he'd have enough power to block blasts that could knock someone like Thor all the way to orbit. "Relax, Vance, I've got you", Captain Marvel said as he streaked in, grabbing Justice and soaring away just as the blast hit, detonating the car in a fireball. The two Avengers rode out the blast high to the sky, Captain Marvel leaving a trail of glittering energy behind them. "Now that I'm ready for him, there's no way he can hit us." Taking advantage of War's distraction, a dark form suddenly streaked out from behind a pile of debris. The Black Panther flashed thru the air towards the the back of the Horsemen's leader, the soles of his boots glowing electric blue as he leap-kicked towards War's head. THUNK The Panther did not let out so much as a murmur of frustration as his kick was this time deflected by the field, the electric blue soles not passing thru as they had last time. He just fell into a crouch behind the Horseman, regaining his balance. "Ah ain't stupid, Avenger", War smirked as he glanced over his shoulder. "Knowin' who you are, it don't take much t' figure your boots're vibranium. Mah field's kinetic energy, vibranium absorbs kinetic energy." "Endokinetic field", the Panther's golden glowing eyes narrowed as he noted the silence of War's field compared to the rumbling it had been making earlier on. "You are keeping the kinetic energy contained within, not susceptible to absorption." "Right", War smirked, and whirled around. "Quick brain, 's a shame Ah have t' kill you 'fore you find a way to get thru mah field again!" he shouted and unleashed a blast from both arms BWHOOM! "Panther!" Justice shouted as the explosive attack obscured the Avengers' leader completely from sight, and as the blast abated, there was nothing before War but rubble. "Famine and Pestilence are getting away", Captain Marvel hissed as he pulled about in the sky with Justice, witnessing the destruction with a growl. "You get them, Marvel!" Justice called out, detaching himself from Captain Marvel, flying away from his teammate and gritting his teeth as pain jolted thru his head. "Thor! You're the only one with the power level to go up against the flying guy!" "Ah'm *War*", Samuel stated as he slowly rose into the air, eyes narrowed and face twisted in hate. "We're the Four Horsemen", he said and spread his arms. "An' we're the destruction of all that's judged *unfit* for the Lord's new kingdom." Thor did not answer, the air burning and vortexing furiously around his spinning hammer, echoing the rage on his face. He pulled back his arm, and then let go of the thong, slinging the hammer forward at many times over the speed of sound. A thundercrack emanated from the hammer as it broke the sound barrier in the split second it took streaking towards War. "FOR HONOR!" Thor shouted. "FOR GLORY! FOR ASGARRRDDD!" *** "Sam!" Professor Charles Francis Xavier gasped as the television screen went to static the instant Thor's hammer struck War's thermokinetic blast field. He stared in horror at the static-filled screen for several moments, gripping hard the armrests of his hoverchair. "What's he to you?" asked a small female figure in shadows on the other side of the room which Charles used as his office in the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. "He's killed hundreds, maybe thousands of people. Why do you care what happens to him?" Charles stayed silent for a few more moments, until the mansion started shaking. He felt the tremors and looked up in alarm, seeing the ceiling chandelier swaying slightly as the ground underneath the mansion rocked softly, then settled again with an eerie silence. "The shockwave", Xavier's eyes narrowed sharply at his thoughts. "We'll hear the sound in a minute or two." "From the hammer?" the female whispered, her eyes widening slightly. With a silent nod, Charles pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a slight headache. He took a deep breath, and then looked out the window at the yellow and red-leaved trees outside the mansion. "To answer your question, Sam is not in his right mind. The Samuel Guthrie I knew would never become a Horseman of Apocalypse. He was a good student... and a dear friend." The female stood in place, tilting her head a bit as she seemed to ponder over the words. Then, she stepped out of the shadows, walking over to the hoverchair. "Vraiment?" asked the black-haired short girl, in her late teens or early twenties. "You're sure that is him, then?" she murmured in an accented voice. "Yes", Charles nodded firmly, without hesitation. "I know Samuel's powers. That is him. Only more powerful than I ever imagined he could become..." "Then", the girl said, sitting into Charles' lap -- her legs dangling over the edge of the hoverchair -- and lightly placing a hand onto his cheek, "if he matters to you, we will find him, and cure him." She gave a cheerful smile as if the matter were as simple as going to the grocery store to buy a carton of milk. Charles gave a slightly tired smile and shook his head in amusement. "I'm not sure what I have done to earn the support of such boundless optimism as yours, Cristal", he said. "You believed in me", Cristal Lemieux smiled impishly before pressing her lips to Charles' and kissing him deeply. "Only fair that I return the favor, non?" she purred, rubbing her body playfully against his. A knock at the door made both of them jump slightly, and Cristal quickly got out of Charles' lap, straightening her miniskirt as she moved to the other side of his desk. "Come in", Charles cleared his throat. The door opened and Bishop, an imposing large black man with an 'M' tattooed over his eye, walked in. He didn't even look in Cristal's direction, but everyone present knew perfectly well he was aware of her presence. Instead, he gave a simple glance to the television still displaying static. "I see you know", he flatly stated. "I do", Charles nodded firmly, reassuming his authoritative tone. "I want to know the reason behind Samuel's change", he declared with sharp eyes. "Find out where X-Force are currently based, and then we *will* get a full briefing from them, one way..." His eyes narrowed. "...or another." "With pleasure", Bishop replied with something resembling a smile growing slowly on his face. It looked very unsettling. A sound like rolling thunder grew in the distance. *** "NO!" Pestilence shouted as bright photonic blasts hit his golden steed, knocking it across the street before he could reach it and hammering the metallic creature full of dents. The power only continued to increase, and within seconds, the robotic mount exploded in a cloud of shrapnel. "That's two down, one left", Captain Marvel soared higher after accomplishing his attack. Casually, he tossed off a photonic blast hitting the ground at Pestilence's feet and knocking the Horseman back. Pestilence roared in anger and shot a group of bone spears from his chest at Captain Marvel, who dodged them with ease. "To the right", a voice came from the sidelines. "Argh!" Captain Marvel cried out as a shower of bone spears blasted right to where he was dodging, several of them tearing and scraping at him as they passed, and one impaling itself thru his side. "What --?" he gasped, coughing up a little bit of blood. "My cosmic awareness should have warned me..." "You don't have it anymore", the self-pleased voice announced, getting Captain Marvel to look where Famine was standing beside the remaining steed. "I do." The Horseman smiled as the glow of the nega-bands on Captain Marvel's wrists started dimming and the Avenger found it harder to stay aloft. "As you grow weaker, *Famine* grows stronger." Famine waved his arm dismissively. "Pestilence, the Avenger is yours. Kill him. Kill him *quickly*!" *** "Nnff..." War sagged back, breathing raggedly. His blast field had held against Thor's attack, but only with supreme effort. "Ah'll get you yet, false god..." he growled weakly, catching his breath in quick gasps as Thor's hammer arced thru the air back to its master's hand. "But now..." Slowly a grin rose onto his face, and it took Thor a few moments to notice that it wasn't him War was looking at, but something behind him. "Ymir's breath!" Thor gasped as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing a smoking helicopter plummeting downwards from the sky, a news copter that had been filming and broadcasting his very attack against War a few heartbeats ago. The electronics had not fared well against a shockwave that could be felt all the way up in Westchester County. "I have it, Thor!" Justice shouted, waving his arm and pink telekinetic energies enveloped the falling helicopter. His face twisted in exertion and he let out a little cry of pain, way beyond his strength reserves for the day. But he'd sooner die than let anyone else die this day if he could help it. Blood started pouring from his nose, tears streaming down from his eyes. "I...have...it...!" he cried out in agony as the helicopter started slowing down its fall. "Don't...turn your back...on --!" War smiled and pointed an arm at Thor. BUH-WHROOM! *** THWAMM! "Ghost Rider!" She-Hulk gasped as she came up for breath from resuscitating Spider-Man, finally feeling a pulse, and saw the flaming-skulled biker flying just past her, crashing to a pile of debris across the street. "And you're next, woman", Death sneered as he stalked towards She-Hulk, seeming as perfectly vital as at the beginning of the destruction. Blood flowed all over his body, drenching his Horseman costume and the skulls jangling as his belt, but he merely smiled and stalked towards the jade giantess with complete confidence. "Shall I do to you what I did to Sonja?" he smirked. "I have no clue who 'Sonja' is", She-Hulk narrowed her eyes, "but I can well guess what you do to women. So come on", she stood up and bared her teeth angrily, cracking her knuckles. "It's payback time." "I will enjoy ravaging you", Death bared his teeth as well in a grotesque grin as he watched She-Hulk's all but naked form. Without hesitation, he continued towards her without hurry, prepared to take all the time in the world to revel in his threats. BUH-WHROOM! The asphalt between She-Hulk and Death exploded in a cloud of debris as a thermokinetic blast shot down from the sky, hammering a red-caped figure down to the street. The cloud abated, revealing Thor lying in the center of the newly-excavated crater in the middle of the street. "Thor!" She-Hulk gasped at the sight, and then snarled in anger as she charged forward, straight at Death at full speed, brandishing her fists. Death simply smiled, walking on to meet the charge, not even bothering to circle the fallen thunder god but instead just stepping on Thor's head as he passed over the Avenger. "You may consider yourself dead already, woman", he smirked, bracing himself to meet She-Hulk's charge. "The name's She-Hulk", she growled, a fist pulling back, and then whistling forward straight towards Death's purple face. "And it's for a *reason*!" BWAKOOM! A punch that would have broken in half a several feet thick slab of titanium. Death frowned. He touched his nose, and looked at the blood that came off onto his fingers. His smile faded into a furious expression, and the next moment, his massive arm shot out a backhand swing at lightning speed. WHAM! "UNGH!" She-Hulk gasped as she stumbled back a few steps, but recovered quicker than either of them had expected. She shot her foot up as if kicking a football, and aimed straight at Death's jaw. POW! "UNFF!" Death wheezed as his head snapped back a bit from the force of the blow. Then, the next moment, he leaped forward with a vicious howl, tackling She-Hulk and crashing to the asphalt with her. His arm pulled back, then lashed forward, his sharp nails tearing gashes in her emerald chest and bringing a cry of pain from her throat which in turn elicited a wide grin of perverse satisfaction on Death's face. It ended quickly as She-Hulk slammed her knee up into Death's gut and grabbed the Horseman's head with both of her hands, ramming it into the asphalt repeatedly before Death's elbow smashed to the side of her head, stunning her momentarily. Death seized the moment, grabbing She-Hulk's long hair and yanking hard, pulling her head back and exposing her throat. His other arm pulled back, preparing to slash forward and tear the throat out in one merciless sudden strike. "I have been killing people longer than your history goes back!" And then his hand shot towards her throat. THWAP She-Hulk grabbed Death's wrist an instant before the fingers tore into her throat. Twisting hard, she felt something snap in the wrist, but instead of a howl or yell of pain, all she got was a snarl that took an eyeblink to grow in intensity into a roar. She felt the other arm smash across her head, stunning her again, and then administering repeated blows, mauling her face viciously. "GKK!" Death suddenly stopped as She-Hulk's hands grabbed his throat and squeezed hard, forcing him back as she strangled him, thumbs pressing into his adam's apple. It would have taken him only a moment to retaliate with another strike and free himself. But he didn't get that moment. Instead, She-Hulk followed up instantly by smashing Death's face into a fire hydrant, destroying the red metal construction and drowning the Horseman's face as water started spouting upwards from the sidewalk at high pressure, pounding Death's face as She-Hulk held it there. With a roar, Death tore into the ground underneath, tearing apart the water main and causing the water to spray wildly all over instead of just pounding at him. In the momentary confusion, he swung a powerful blow at She-Hulk's jaw, knocking her flat onto her back. "Now", Death hissed as he kicked the prone She-Hulk in the face, then as she was stunned, in the gut. He finished off by grabbing her ankle, and then swinging her several times by it like a whip, beating her against the asphalt. "Time for your *Death*", he narrowed his eyes as he left her broken and bleeding on the asphalt and took a step closer, towering over her unmoving form. Death felt a shadow rise over him. A figure stood behind him, a tattered red cape flowing down from its shoulders. **********************************************************************