Chapter 18: Snacks

Words : 932 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 18 of "Marvelous Mutations" introduces the scene: New York Military Base, Underground Command Center. General Ross stood with his hands clasped behind his... Keep going!

New York Military Base, Underground Command Center. General Ross stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes locked on the massive surveillance screen in front of him. His jaw clenched. "That thing actually made it into my base," he muttered. "Into my lair." The audacity of the beast infuriated him. From what Ross could tell, this creature wasn't just some random mutation. No, it bore too many similarities to a certain green menace he was all too familiar with. Its strength, regeneration, sheer disregard for conventional weaponry... "It has to be Hulk-related." Either it had ingested something contaminated with Hulk's blood, or worse, it had been someone's experiment. If it was the latter, Ross was staring down a very dangerous future. "Have they succeeded where I've failed?" he wondered, bitterly. After countless tests and failed experiments, Ross had yet to crack the secret of creating a Hulk soldier. And now someone had possibly beaten him to it? The thought made his blood boil. Still, all that speculation could wait. Right now, the green beast was laying waste to his base. Missiles were out of the question, he couldn't destroy his own compound just to neutralize a threat. Yet conventional weapons were doing absolutely nothing. The creature brushed off bullets like flies and shrugged off explosions like mild gusts of wind. "We need more options..." Ross growled through clenched teeth. But before he could issue any further commands, the creature on-screen suddenly changed its behavior. It stopped digging. Stopped smashing. Instead, it turned. And in a few thunderous strides, it sprinted straight toward a group of soldiers. The feed from the drone zoomed in and Ross's eyes narrowed. "Is that... Havok?" A wave of confusion crossed his face. The monster was charging directly at Havok's team. Why? There wasn't time to question it. Before anyone could react, the beast lunged, and in one horrifying gulp, it swallowed Havok whole. Ross's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell—?" One by one, the rest of the squad followed. The soldiers who had once been his elite team were consumed like popcorn, no resistance whatsoever, no struggle. Just instant annihilation. The dog didn't even chew... Behind Ross, the entire control room had gone deathly silent. He stared at the screen, frozen. "My best unit... wiped out in seconds..." And then, just as abruptly as it had arrived, the creature turned and ran. With each step, its hulking body shrank in size. By the time it reached the nearby woods, it had vanished, completely gone from sight. Ten minutes. That was all it took for the monster to turn the New York military base into a smoldering wreck. And yet... only five deaths were confirmed. The other soldiers who had been confronting it from the start had minor injuries at worst. Ross gritted his teeth. The green beast had clearly come for Havok's team, and no one else. "What the hell did they do...?" He replayed recent events in his mind. The team had been sent to capture a civilian: Luke Yale, the mysterious grocery store owner. But after returning from that mission, their behavior had been... odd. Dazed, distracted, like they'd forgotten something important. And now this. Ross's expression darkened. "Luke Yale..." That name was starting to feel more and more like a thorn under his skin. The sense of mystery surrounding him had only deepened, but now it came with a heavy dose of anger and suspicion. He hadn't just lost his elite team. He'd lost face, his reputation was on the line. ... S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Briefing Room. Nick Fury watched the same footage with a grim expression. The ruined base. The unstoppable monster. The suspicious lack of casualties, aside from the targeted unit. He didn't like any of it. "So this Luke kid might've sicced a Hulk-dog on the military..." That could complicate things. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.S. military didn't exactly share lunch plans, but even so, if Luke had now drawn the full ire of the government, recruiting him would be... unlikely. "Hill," Fury said. "Has Agent Romanoff landed yet?" Maria Hill stepped forward with her usual efficient stride. "She just got off the plane, sir. Want me to call her in?" Fury shook his head. "No time. Tell her to go straight to the target." "Understood," Hill nodded. Then, as she turned to leave... "Wait," Fury added. "Tell her to be careful. Don't antagonize him." Hill stopped, her brow slightly furrowed. "You think he's that dangerous?" "I think he's more dangerous than we gave him credit for." Fury didn't speak lightly. He had reviewed the Abomination footage. He'd studied the reports. And now, seeing this latest rampage, he was putting the pieces together. "Both incidents involved a dog," Fury said, half to himself. "One with three heads... one big and green..." And according to Luke's file, the man owned a husky that looked too alike to this green beast. Coincidence? Unlikely. "If just his dog can do something like this..." Fury murmured, "then what the hell is he himself capable of?" He didn't know yet. But he knew one thing for sure: Agent Romanoff would need to tread very carefully. "If she pisses him off, he might just feed her to that dog." he muttered just loud enough for Hill to hear it. Hill nodded solemnly, then turned and left to deliver the warning. ...

Chapter 18: Snacks

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