Matching the Hulks' overwhelming strength was something even more terrifying.
Their resilience.
Both Juggernaut and Red Hulk were being smashed through steel walls, embedded into reinforced metal, and hurled across entire corridors. Yet moments later, they would simply pull themselves free and continue fighting as if nothing had happened.
The battlefield had descended into complete chaos.
Steve Rogers still hadn't transformed.
In his opinion, Abomination and Red Hulk were more than enough.
At the same time, he couldn't help being shocked by the level of destruction.
The thunderous impacts sounded like freight trains colliding. Entire sections of the corridor had been reduced to rubble. Twisted steel littered the floor, walls had been torn apart wholesale, and massive chunks of reinforced alloy had been ripped free during the battle.
The destructive power was staggering.
If technology like this had existed during World War II, Steve thought grimly, the war might have ended very differently.
Nearby, Abomination was having the time of his life.
Blonsky swept his enormous arm sideways.
Three male mutants were caught by the strike.
The impact slammed them into a steel wall with horrifying force.
The reinforced metal caved inward.
When Abomination pulled his hand away, the three men were no longer recognizable as human beings.
Blood and crushed flesh slid down the wall and pooled on the floor.
"Damn you!"
Magneto's eyes turned red with fury.
Every mutant life mattered to him.
Yet here, mutants were being slaughtered like livestock.
Rage surged through him.
Steel beams, wall panels, and alloy fragments tore free from their surroundings and shot toward Abomination.
Blonsky only laughed.
The metal hammered against his body without effect.
Unless Magneto somehow got his hands on Adamantium or Vibranium, ordinary alloys simply couldn't penetrate Hulk-level durability.
After all, General Ross had once gone so far as to bombard the Hulk with a tactical nuclear weapon.
The Hulk had walked away from it.
Still, Magneto succeeded in slowing Abomination down, if only temporarily.
Meanwhile, Juggernaut charged.
A savage grin spread across his face as he lowered one arm across his chest and drove forward shoulder-first.
The impact hit Red Hulk like a runaway locomotive.
BOOM!
A shockwave exploded outward.
Cracks spread across the floor in every direction.
Dust and debris blasted through the prison wing.
Several nearby mutants were thrown off their feet by the force alone.
Juggernaut continued driving forward relentlessly.
Ross was stunned.
Ever since becoming Red Hulk, he had never imagined meeting someone who could overpower him physically.
Yet Juggernaut was doing exactly that.
The mutant wasn't particularly fast.
What made him terrifying was momentum.
Every step shook the structure around them.
Ross gritted his teeth.
Then he copied the maneuver.
He lowered his shoulder and charged back.
The collision forced Juggernaut to take a single step backward.
One step.
Then nothing.
Once Juggernaut built momentum, stopping him was nearly impossible.
Even Adamantium claws couldn't cut through him while he was charging.
The two crimson giants crashed into one another again and again.
Steel walls shattered.
Support pillars collapsed.
Any unfortunate mutant caught in their path was treated like tissue paper.
The weaker ones didn't even survive the shockwaves.
Panic spread through the prison wing.
Mutants scrambled away in every direction.
Nobody wanted to remain anywhere near those monsters.
Juggernaut suddenly roared.
Every muscle in his body bulged.
Raising both fists overhead, he slammed them down into the floor.
The prison shook.
Spiderweb cracks raced across the ground.
Dust erupted everywhere.
Ross lost his footing for a split second.
That was all Juggernaut needed.
He lunged forward and smashed into Red Hulk with enough force to send him flying.
Before Ross could recover, Juggernaut wrapped both arms around his neck and locked him in place.
Ross immediately remembered something.
The footage of Abomination nearly being strangled to death by the Hulk.
The memory of Drex Valen effortlessly defeating both Abomination and Hulk.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Where was Director Valen?
At that moment, Drex was still casually chatting with Professor Xavier.
Of course, he knew exactly what was happening at Bureau headquarters.
He simply wasn't concerned.
Not even a little.
Magneto escaping?
Against four Hulks?
That would be a joke.
If the Brotherhood somehow managed to pull it off, Drex would just create more Hulks.
Problem solved.
Back at headquarters, Steve finally decided he had seen enough.
The prison wing looked like a war zone.
Bodies.
Blood.
Collapsed corridors.
Destroyed infrastructure.
The situation had spiraled far beyond what he considered acceptable.
So he transformed.
Blue skin replaced flesh.
Muscles expanded.
The Blue Hulk emerged.
The moment Magneto and the Brotherhood saw him, a chilling silence swept through the battlefield.
They had already been struggling against two Hulks.
Now there was a third.
A blue one.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was a nightmare.
By the time Drex returned from Xavier's School, the battle was long over.
Magneto.
The Brotherhood.
Every surviving member.
All of them were sitting behind bars.
News of the capture spread across the world like wildfire.
Few people had paid much attention when the Human Supernatural Strategic Defense, Attack, and Logistics Bureau was first established.
The organization looked insignificant.
Its official staff numbered only a handful.
Yet this tiny agency had accomplished something that countless governments, intelligence organizations, and military forces had failed to do.
They had captured Magneto and most of the Brotherhood.
The world was stunned.
Without Drex's carefully crafted political influence, hypnotically reinforced reputation, and overwhelming personal power, the Bureau would have become the target of immediate political takeover attempts.
As things stood, nobody dared act openly.
Drex could overpower multiple Hulks with his bare hands.
That fact alone discouraged most ambitious politicians.
Instead, they pursued softer methods.
Meetings.
Negotiations.
Political pressure.
Attempts to insert their own personnel into the Bureau.
HYDRA was particularly enthusiastic about the idea.
Several members of the Security Council secretly belonged to HYDRA, and they pushed hard behind the scenes.
Drex refused every proposal.
Without exception.
No compromises.
No concessions.
Nobody could force the issue.
Military action was out of the question.
Political seizure was equally dangerous.
The world's financial elites and corporate interests were fiercely protective of property rights.
If governments could arbitrarily seize Drex's organization today, what would stop them from confiscating corporate assets tomorrow?
On that issue, even rival factions stood united.
Of course, many of them still wanted access to the Bureau.
Their preferred solution was mutual cooperation.
Partnerships.
Shared interests.
A few trusted representatives inside the organization.
That was all they asked for.
Drex's answer remained unchanged.
No.
After returning to headquarters, Drex visited Magneto personally.
The prison cell was reinforced with specialized magnetic field interference systems.
"Fix the damage you caused," Drex said casually.
Magneto glared at him.
"You know exactly what this cure will lead to."
"The cure?" Drex asked.
"The anti-mutant serum. It will start a war between mutants and humanity."
"I know."
Drex's response was calm.
Almost indifferent.
"I've already discussed it with the Professor."
Magneto's expression darkened.
Drex continued.
"You and every mutant criminal in this facility will receive the treatment."
Magneto froze.
"Mutant criminals don't need mutant abilities."
For the first time since his capture, genuine panic flashed through Magneto's eyes.
The idea was unthinkable.
Losing his powers?
Losing the abilities that had defined his entire life?
The very thought felt worse than imprisonment.
Drex shook his head.
"You should give up."
He tapped the wall beside him.
"The cell uses magnetic field disruptors. You're not using your powers in here."
The old method of imprisoning Magneto with plastic walls had always struck Drex as absurdly unreliable.
Theoretically, Magneto should have been able to escape half the prisons he'd ever been placed in.
Fortunately, this facility had been designed properly.
Magneto snorted.
Then he raised a hand toward the wall.
Nothing happened.
His expression changed.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
The metal remained completely still.
No response.
No movement.
No connection.
For the first time in decades, Magneto felt truly powerless.
...
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