When Wyatt Wilkins accepted that he was now two people merged into one, and that he had transmigrated into a alternate version MCU with Atom Eve's powers, he never considered becoming a hero.
No, Wyatt planned to use his powers to live a luxurious and peaceful life. He intended to leave the hero work and saving the Earth to the Avengers and X-Men.
However, when he found himself facing danger and death, Wyatt couldn't look away and allow anyone around him to suffer.
With great power comes great responsibility.
The words of Benjamin Parker, spoken to Peter Parker/Spider-Man, echoed in his mind.
This single line had become iconic in his previous life. It pushed one of fiction's greatest heroes to do what was right, no matter the sacrifice.
Now, confronted with the danger of Emil Blonsky, who had transformed into the Abomination, Wyatt couldn't simply fly away and leave people to die or get hurt. Not when he had the power to slow the gamma-powered beast until the Hulk arrived to stop him.
"I regret all my life choices."
Wyatt grunted and flew over the car the Abomination launched at him. With great concentration, Wyatt held out a hand and created a large spiked ball beside him. The Abomination blinked in surprise as a glowing construct appeared in the air.
"Hah!" Wyatt yelled and shot his spiked ball at the gamma beast.
The Abomination, also known as Emil, stood still. He was reveling in his new power. After being injected with a concentrated dose of Bruce Banner's blood, Emil felt invincible.
And why shouldn't he? His new body was impervious to bullets and strong enough to launch cars and buses through the air with ease.
So, when he spotted a large, comical, glowing ball covered in spikes, he stood his ground with a confident grin. His newfound strength intoxicated him.
Suddenly, a loud crack echoed down the street. The Abomination blinked, finding himself five feet away from where he had been standing. A dull pain flared across his chest as the embers of the construct vanished around him.
Did that joke of an attack actually hurt me? Abomination thought.
Holy shit... Did that actually push him back? Wyatt wondered.
Growling, the Abomination reached beside him and ripped a car door from a burning vehicle. He hurled it like a Frisbee across the street.
Wyatt quickly snapped out of his shock and leaned back, narrowly avoiding the high-speed projectile. He flew backward, scanning the street for any remaining civilians. He needed to buy time for them to escape as far as possible.
"Nice throw. That's what I would say if that had hit," Wyatt said, landing on the ground. He was still getting used to using his constructs mid-flight and barely managed to throw the spiked ball without losing his balance. He thanked Lady Luck for preventing him from crashing to the ground. "So, are you some sort of escaped science experiment? Or were you always that ugly?"
"Annoying bug!" Abomination roared and rushed Wyatt. Scaring him briefly.
Small red-pinkish disks appeared under Wyatt's feet, lifting him a foot over the ground. Concentrating, Wyatt used the disks to slide himself away from Abomination's crashing fist quickly. The street shook, and the asphalt cracked from the force of the push.
"One hit from that, and I'm toast," Wyatt said and heard a faint whimper.
Looking to the side, he saw a bleeding woman trapped in her half-crushed vehicle from the Abominations rampage. Beside her was the remains of a man. His body was left unrecognizable due to the car's crumbled metal frame.
"Mike… god, no." The woman cried as she reached for her dead husband. "No, no, no…"
"Die!" Wyatt was jolted back to the fight as Abomination closed the distance quickly despite his large size.
Wyatt raised his hands and hastily created a barrier over him just as Abomination crashed down both his fists. Due to their hasty construction, Wyatt received the full blowback of the Abomination's attack, sending him rolling back.
"Fuck…" Wyatt grunted as he pushed himself up. The asphalt under his hands shook as Abomination jumped into the air, fully intent on crushing him underfoot.
A ball of energy formed around Wyatt and yanked him forward. Wyatt grimaced as he crashed into the sides of his construct. He was thankful for his quick thinking when he watched the street brake under the Abomination's heavy weight and strength.
"Stop running and fight!" Abomination growled, spittle flying.
Wyatt's breathing was quick and heavy. The weight of his situation pressed down on him.
"What am I doing? I can't do this?!" Wyatt whispered and turned to look down at his shaking arms and legs. "What was I thinking?! What, I land one lucky hit, and I'm suddenly able to go toe to toe with someone of his power? Stupid!"
The Abomination roared and turned to a bus beside him. Inside the bus were several unconscious people, having been knocked out when the Abomination initially appeared and sent the bus flying with a kick. With a heave, he lifted the bus and tossed it in the air at Wyatt.
From within the airborne bus, a young boy opened his eyes, his consciousness returning to him. He only had a split second to realize he was sailing through the air, momentarily free of gravity. The boy's face twisted from confusion to terror as his world spun out of control.
Wyatt stood frozen, his eyes following the bus. The bodies inside were now clear, thanks to the transport vehicle spinning in the air.
A fact unknown to Wyatt himself is that his brain was capable of processing information at speeds unthinkable to humans. It's what allowed him to change millions upon millions of molecules and atoms within a fraction of a second. This meant he had a processing speed comparable to a supercomputer.
This was what allowed him to see every single person within the bus alongside his entire environment moving in slow motion.
Still, his incredible processing speed didn't transfer over to his movement or reaction speed.
But for Wyatt, that didn't matter.
Stop it! Stop being afraid! Stop hesitating! Just ACT! Wyatt thought and moved like a man possessed.
Jumping forward, Wyatt swung his right arm to the side and transformed the bus into an explosion of bubbles. In a snap, Wyatt raised his hand, and a large glowing construct in the shape of a hand appeared. Catching all the passengers.
With a pulling motion, Wyatt's hand construct closed into itself and became a rolling rollercoaster. In each cart sat one of the bus's passengers strapped safely to their seats as they flew over the street and away from the battle.
As the roller coaster flew past Wyatt, the young boy stared at the visage of his costume with wide, awed eyes.
Despite the out of nowhere creation of a roller coaster, Abomination moved toward Wyatt. Pulling an arm back, he was about to punch Wyatt when, all of a sudden, he felt heavy. It was as if the very air around him was slowing him down.
"I increased the density in the air," Wyatt said as he aimed a hand at Abomination, answering the beast's unasked question. Wyatt's face had sweat beading down while he pointed his other hand at the ground under Abomination's feet. "This should give me enough time to finish my next move."
"You B-Bug! I'll squash you-" Abomination was suddenly cut off as the air around him returned to normal.
But before he could move, the ground under him vanished, and a bottomless pit appeared below him. Like a rock, he dropped down at incredible speeds. As he fell, he roared.
Wyatt fell to a knee, his body covered in sweat and out of breath. He looked around the chaos and forced himself up. Pushing his arms out, a large wave of energy spread out around him. The roaring fires nearby were instantly extinguished.
Wyatt turned to the woman from earlier and reached her side. In a flash, the vehicle that had once trapped her and crushed her husband vanished into a pile of cotton balls. The woman gasped at the sudden change but focused on her deceased husband. There was a blanket covering his mangled corpse.
"We have to go, ma'am. It won't take him long to come back," Wyatt said softly, but the woman was beyond words. She was lost in her grief.
"What the hell? Where did that thing go?"
Wyatt turned to see several officers and military personnel arrive, their weapons drawn, in search of the Abomination.
"Hey! I need help!" Wyatt called out, gaining their attention.
The officers and military quickly reached his position and saw the tragic sight of the woman's husband. "Quick! Take her and get as far away as you can!" Wyatt said.
"Who are you?! Where's that creature!" One of the officers asked as he raised his weapon at Wyatt. His odd costume made them suspicious of him.
Before Wyatt could answer, the echo of a roar could be heard from the large hole in the middle of the road.
"He's in there. I could only make the hole so deep with the time I had. He'll be back in two or three minutes at the most! We have to MOVE!" Wyatt told the officers and military with what he hoped was a commanding voice. To prove his might, Wyatt released a small wave of energy down the street, clearing a path for the officers to take the grieving woman and corpse down. "Did I stutter? Go!"
"R-right! Let's get her out of here. Scott, Jenkins, and Young take a look and check to see if we have any more injured in the area. Everyone else, let's get them out of here!" One of the military personnel said.
Wyatt let out a heavy sigh as he stood amidst the chaos, observing the officers and military personnel as they methodically combed through the wreckage. Determined to lend a hand, he joined their efforts, carefully clearing away jagged pieces of debris with his powers that obstructed the path to those trapped beneath the rubble. With deft movements, he conjured wheelchairs for the injured who struggled to stand, crafting sturdy supports from whatever materials he could scrounge together. His hands worked swiftly, creating essential items to aid the wounded.
As Wyatt helped, he began to feel tired. He had never used his powers at such a large scale and in such rapid succession.
While Wyatt was helping two officers place an unconscious man onto a stretcher, a roar and a crash echoed behind them. Wyatt and the officers all turned to see a very pissed-off Abomination. His breathing was deep and ragged, and he was glaring holes into Wyatt's very being. The beast didn't seem to appreciate the 400-foot fall Wyatt put him through.
"Damn it. He got back up quicker than I thought," Wyatt muttered and stood up straight. He turned to the officers who lifted the unconscious man on the stretcher. "Go! I'll buy you all some time!"
The officers nodded and were about to move, but the younger of the two hesitated. "What… what's your name?"
Wyatt paused and turned to the young officer. He stayed silent a few moments, but at the incoming heavy steps, he answered quickly.
"I'm… Atomic." Wyatt said and flew at the Abomination.
••o••o••o••
"General, you should hear this!"
High above the bustling streets of New York City, a military helicopter buzzed through the sky, its rotors slicing through the crisp air. Inside the cramped cabin, the tension was palpable. One of the personnel, clad in tactical gear, turned sharply in his seat, extending a phone toward Ross with a serious expression.
Ross hesitated for a moment, casting a glance at his daughter, Betty Ross. Beside her, Bruce Banner sat handcuffed. Ross rose from his seat, the helicopter's vibrations rattling his bones, and reached out to take the phone.
"The Hulk is in the street! I repeat, the Hulk is in the street!" Ross heard from the other end of the phone. The general turned and gave Bruce a look before answering.
"That's impossible. You get a hold of yourself, young man. You get it together. What is your position?" Ross said.
Racing through the streets, a military vehicle with both police officers and soldiers chased after Abomination and Wyatt. The young soldier, Andrew, yelled over the radio. "121st Street, heading north on Broadway!
Frowning, Ross turned to the pilot. "Turn us around."
The pilot nodded and tilted his controls. The helicopter leaned to the side and began to head to Harlem.
Bruce felt the helicopter shift and gave Betty a confused look. "We're going back. Why are we going back?"
"Damn it! Give me eyes down there!" Ross commanded and leaned close to the small monitor on the helicopter.
"Yes, sir!" Andrew said as their vehicle made a sharp turn into a chaotic street. Slamming the side of their vehicle into an oncoming taxi. Andrew adjusted the camera on his helmet to focus on the blooms of fire and destruction.
Further up the street, Andrew's camera captured the chaotic back-and-forth battle between Wyatt and Abomination. Wyatt's used his flight and glowing constructs to avoid and distract the gamma-powered beast while Abomination roared in rage as he tried to crush his tricky opponent.
"No!" Bruce shot to his feet and moved to the monitors, quickly followed by Betty and two soldiers. Bruce's eyes grew wide in horror as he watched Abomination destroy everything around him in his pursuit to kill Wyatt. With a glare, Bruce turned to Ross. "One of yours?"
"Oh, my God. What have you done?" Betty said, horrified at what her father had done.
Everyone in the helicopter refocused on the monitor and watched as Wyatt tried his best to slow down or distract Abomination, but his movements were quickly slowing down. His constructs were becoming smaller and smaller due to his exhaustion. The police in the distance did their best to shoot Abomination, but their bullets remained useless against his tough skin.
"Who's that?" Betty asked.
"Whoever it is... he won't be enough to stop him," Bruce muttered, his eyes growing sharp.
"Tell them to bring everything they've got and head for Harlem," Ross said into his radio with resignation.
"It has to be me. You have to take me back there." Bruce turned to Ross and Betty.
"What are you saying? You think you can control it?" Betty asked.
"No, no, not control it, but, I don't know, maybe aim it," Bruce said.
"And what if you can't?" Ross turned to Bruce. "We don't need two of you down there destroying the city!"
Bruce took a deep breath and gave Ross a look. "We made this thing. All of us. Please."
Ross thought carefully about the situation. In their last battle with the Hulk, nothing he did had managed to stop the creature. Not even the millions of dollars worth of military weapons or strategic tactics made a difference. He realized that using that same approach against the Abomination would likely lead to more destruction in the city and increase civilian casualties.
Despite his reservations, he understood that the Hulk was their best chance at defeating who was once Emil Blonsky. "Land us near it. No, wait. Keep us high. Open the back door." Ross said. Bruce nodded thankfully at the long-time enemy.
"Bruce! Bruce, stop! Stop! What are you doing? Think about this! You don't even know if you'll change! You don't have to do this! Please, this is insane!" Bettys said as she followed Bruce toward the back of the helicopter, her eyes tight with worry over his safety.
"Betty, I've got to try... I'm sorry." Bruce said sincerely and gave Betty a passionate kiss. As his lips left hers, he fell back and fell into the city.
As Bruce fell, he closed his eyes and accepted the change. But what he once rejected didn't appear. He opened his eyes and cursed.
"Oh, shit!" He said and crashed into the asphalt with a thunderous crack!
"Get her in here!" Ross yelled as one of his men brought Betty back into the helicopter, where she quickly moved to a window to look down at where Bruce crashed.
She waited for what felt like forever. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.
From below the cracks and rubble of the asphalt, a large green fist exploded.