"Why does it feel like this place is almost endless?" I asked.
Honestly, Hulk and I have been swimming for quite a while, and we still haven't found an end. Just how big is this sea monster?
"..." Marc has been silent the whole time; it seems like being in here isn't doing him any good.
Gwen, on the other hand, is straight-up asleep.
I feel like I'm reluctantly carrying this team, don't I?
"Hey, Hulk, do you hear anything?"
"Hulk hear nothing. Water makes Hulk's ears hard to hear."
"...You're right."
This is bad. There's no signal here for me to call Tony.
Even if there was a signal, I'm afraid my phone wouldn't withstand the pressure this deep in the ocean.
Maybe ask that Namor guy for help? But he's not exactly reliable...
[He's from another universe; what does he have to do with this one?]
'Same name and powers?'
[What if his personality is different? Like Tony Stark, hating humans but still helping them.]
'Tough call…'
Nya's right, but I'm still not sure about that guy.
And why is he just chilling and sleeping down here?
"!"
Suddenly, Hulk stopped, startling me.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Hulk sees something!"
"Sees what?!"
I quickly grabbed Marc's flashlight and shone it ahead.
"?"
A wheel? Why is it here?
"...Something's off. Hulk, try turning it!"
Hulk did as I said and turned it hard. In just a second, we felt a terrifying suction force.
"OH SHIT, THIS IS AN ENTRANCE—"
The pressure from the deep ocean was insane, so the moment Hulk accidentally opened a hatch… well, a normal person would've been crushed to death from the impact.
Uh, I don't know how to explain it, so let's just call it Delta P for short.
In an instant, the entire group was sucked in by the water pressure and then spat out.
"UGAH UHHHHHA!?" I was disoriented, realizing my diving mask was gone, struggling to get oxygen.
Water kept blasting out with insane pressure. I glanced at Hulk, who was also a bit dazed.
"HULK! CLOSE IT, QUICK!"
Hulk, hearing this, struggled to swim closer and close it despite the intense water pressure.
"GUAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Hulk roared, using all his strength to shut it, then turned the wheel to lock it tight.
"Uah..." I gasped, then looked around.
Still a vast ocean… but it felt artificial.
I looked at the painted wall and noticed a staircase nearby.
"Truman Show??"
Calm down, I need to check on Gwen and Marc!
I saw Marc floating on the water, his face completely blank.
Where's Gwen??
Suddenly, I saw bubbles rising from below.
"..."
I dove down and saw Gwen clinging to my leg.
And she was still asleep!
"Are you kidding me??"
I then dragged Marc along and climbed onto Hulk's back.
"You hurt?" I asked.
"Hulk fine! Hulk good at taking pain!"
"Eh, if you say so."
Then I stood on Hulk's shoulder to get a better view.
"...What's that?"
Far, far away, there was a castle.
"Oh, I'm starting to get it!"
There's a high chance this sea monster… isn't a living creature! It's a robot!
There's a mastermind behind this!
"Hulk, swim straight! I see land!"
Hulk, hearing this, swam forward at high speed, faster than a boat!
Gradually, we got closer and closer.
"Uh… How's it going?"
"Oh, you're back to life?" I said.
"Just met Khonshu again. I wanted to punch him in the face but couldn't," Marc replied.
Did he just die, or was he just unconscious?
[He just died.]
'Wait, really??'
[Well, Khonshu is a real god, just not well-known. Though the Egyptians know him by another name.]
'Ohhh.'
"By the way… Are we out?" Marc asked, holding his head.
"Nope, still inside."
"Wait, what? This isn't outside? It looks so real!"
"I wish it was real."
After a short while, we reached land…
The land was freakishly flat, and in front of us was a castle so big it looked like it came straight out of Halloween.
"…What's going on?" Gwen woke up.
"You finally awake."
The four of us closely examined the castle and decided to head straight for it.
But we hadn't gone far when the water's surface started bubbling violently.
"?" We all looked at the water, and something swam up and climbed onto land.
"??"
A merman? It had the body of a fish but with two arms and two legs, holding a trident.
"Umm… Hi?"
"Intruders! Brothers! Attack!"
Then, a ton of merpeople emerged from the water, as numerous as a crowd in China!
"The heck?!" I panicked, getting into a fighting stance.
They charged at us, fearless of death.
"This is bad! We have to fight!" Marc said.
"But there are so many of them!"
"So what?! If we don't fight, they'll beat us!"
"You have a point."
So, I swung my fist at a merman.
It passed out instantly.
"…That weak?"
A swarm of merpeople rushed at Moon Knight. He pulled out his crescent moon darts and threw them.
"Random bullshit, go!!!!"
"It's not even random! You're just throwing the same dart!"
The crescent darts pierced through the heads of several merpeople, taking them out easily.
One tried to sneak attack, but Moon Knight stabbed a dart into its eye and kicked it hard into the crowd.
"Pussy."
BOOM!!
Fish guts splattered everywhere, staining Moon Knight's white suit.
"Hey, Marc! Next time, use a weapon that causes less explosion, alright? What if it hits us?" I said while kicking a merman in the face.
"I'm Steven."
"…Okay, Steven, listen—"
"I'm Jake." Moon Knight sliced a merman's throat.
"Okay, Jake, I'm saying—"
"Oops, Marc again."
"Are you trolling me??"
"Woohoo!"
Gwen cheered excitedly, leaping high and spinning out long webs, turning them into a fishing net.
A bunch of merpeople got caught in it, and Gwen spun them around before tossing them into the air.
The group of merpeople crashed down, turning into a mashed-up mess.
"…How is she as strong as Hulk?"
"RAGHHHHHHHHH!!!"
My attention turned to Hulk's roar, only to see him attacking like a wild beast.
He grabbed a merman and used it like a baseball bat to smash others.
Then, he picked up another merman and threw it like a bowling ball into the rest.
Hulk then leaped high, preparing to crash down on the merpeople.
"Holy shit, Hiroshima!"
"HULK STOMP!"
His landing caused an earthquake-like tremor, crushing the merpeople beneath him into tofu-like paste.
"…Are all heroes this brutal?" I said, watching everyone slaughter recklessly.
Just as we were in the heat of battle, we heard another roar.
"?"
A giant, as big as Hulk, rose from the water.
"…Abomination?" I muttered.
He had fish scales, sea skin instead of the pale green from another universe, fish ears, and a fish tail.
Basically, a merman version of Hulk.
He walked slowly, staring at Hulk.
Hulk approached him.
The two giants faced off, nose to nose, eyes locked.
"…We should back up," I warned my two teammates.
"RAGHHHHHH!!!"
"RAGHHHHHHH!!!!"
They threw punches at each other, hammering relentlessly without stopping.
But looking closely, Hulk was gaining the upper hand.
Hulk pushed Abomination back and clapped his hands hard, forcing Abomination to cover his ears.
Then Hulk landed a punch, sending Abomination crashing into the water.
"HULK STRONG! HULK BETTER! HULK SMASH!!!!"
Then he dove into the water after him.
"Let's finish off these merpeople and help that musclehead," Moon Knight said. Gwen and I nodded.
But just as he said that, the water shook violently, spraying upward like an explosion below.
Hulk flew out, only to be pummeled by Abomination, who grabbed his head and threw him into the ground.
Then, Abomination leaped down to where Hulk landed and started pounding his face.
"Oh shit! This is not good!" Moon Knight said, grabbing an explosive dart and throwing it at Abomination.
Abomination used Hulk as a shield to block the attack.
BOOM!
As the smoke cleared, Abomination threw Hulk toward us.
"Agh!" Gwen and I jumped out of the way, forgetting to save Moon Knight.
"Oh f—"
Moon Knight got slammed by Hulk, flying several miles and… dying(?).
"I thought Hulk was super strong??" I said, confused, watching Hulk slowly turn back into Bruce.
"Watch out!"
My Spider Sense tingled behind me, and I turned around.
And saw a familiar guy.
"Hi," Namor waved at me.
"You—"
A punch landed straight in my gut. I collapsed in pain, clutching my stomach.
"Sorry, but since you trespassed, I can't let you go."
"Ughh…"
"Go to sleep."
Namor kicked me in the face, my consciousness fading as I sank into darkness.
Leaving Gwen standing there, stunned, looking at me.