Marvel: The Enlightened One#80+81: Leveled the Ross Family’s Cemetery! A Show of Force!

Gwen's face went completely blank as she stared at Natasha.

“I don’t know.”

“...”

Natasha stared back, her own voice low and steady. “Last night’s incident really wasn’t us. If we were coming for you, we would have been here long ago. Why wait until now?”

Gwen ignored her.

“Are you here to arrest me?”

“No.”

The moment the word left Natasha’s lips, Gwen pushed open her car door and got out.

Natasha opened the passenger door and followed, watching as Gwen shut the driver’s side door.

Gwen’s voice was calm. “Thank you for bringing my car back.”

“...”

Natasha frowned as Gwen turned and walked back toward the house without another glance. She watched her go, then, after a moment of silence, turned and opened the door of a black van parked nearby.

The moment she was inside and the door was shut, Natasha contacted Maria Hill, who was running the show back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion.

“Commander.”

“What’s the situation?”

“She’s not talking.” Natasha reported the facts.

She could have grabbed Gwen, tortured her for information, and forced her to give up Hawk’s location.

But the memory of waking up after the attack, alive and unharmed, flashed through her mind. The thought of harming Gwen was dismissed before it could even fully form.

Maria Hill didn’t sound surprised by her answer. “Don’t bother. We’ve found him.”

Natasha paused. “You found Hawk?”

“Yes.”

“Quantico?”

“No. New Mexico.”

“New...” Natasha was stunned. “What the hell is he doing in New Mexico?”

Maria Hill looked at the video an agent in New Mexico had just sent her. After a moment of silence, she said, “The Ross family cemetery has been destroyed.”

As she spoke, Natasha pulled out her phone, which had just received the same file.

She opened the video.

The scene was one of utter devastation. As far as the eye could see, headstones were shattered, graves had been blasted open, and splintered coffins and skeletal remains littered the entire cemetery.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the Ross family estate in front of it.

As the camera panned, the once-magnificent mansion was now a smoldering ruin.

Natasha was stunned.

“This...”

“Our agents in New York just confirmed it. The damage to Hawk’s sister’s grave was minor, likely from last night’s battle. It seems clear that the destruction of the Ross estate and their family cemetery was Hawk’s retaliation.”

“Hiss.”

Natasha drew in a sharp breath. A thought occurred to her.

“Does General Ross know?”

“He does.”

“He must be losing his mind.” Natasha said, her eyes still glued to the video on her phone. If someone had done this to her family's resting place, she would have gone on a warpath.

But—

Serves him right.

Natasha thought with a grim satisfaction in her eyes.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was still in the middle of running threat assessments and planning a first contact, and the military had just charged in with no plan and no intel.

Did they really think that just because Hawk’s name sounded a little like Hulk’s, he was another Bruce Banner?

Just because Banner ran when you chased him, did you really think everyone would?

Well, now they knew. The more arrogant they were at the start, the more painful the payback.

...

Natasha marveled at the sheer audacity of it, then she froze.

“Commander, that’s not right. New York is a long way from New Mexico. It’s only been six hours since the incident. How could he have gotten there so fast?”

“To be precise, it took him less than three hours to get to New Mexico.”

“What?”

Natasha was shocked. “That’s impossible.”

“But it’s a fact,” Maria Hill said, her voice grim. “And right now, his speed isn’t the issue. If I’m right, his next stop is Quantico.”

Hawk killing the Hulk for revenge was one thing.

But leveling the Ross family cemetery sent a much clearer message.

Hawk repaid every wrong.

So, If he would go so far as to destroy their family cemetery, what were the odds he would spare Thaddeus Ross, the man who had ordered last night’s attack?

Though S.H.I.E.L.D. had once again lost track of Hawk...

Maria Hill was certain of his next destination.

Quantico.

Natasha frowned as she processed Hill’s prediction. "So, what are my orders?"

"Stay put."

"What?"

Maria Hill’s voice was firm. “Find a way to stay close to Gwen. Until this is over.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Commander, are you saying...?"

"It's not confirmed. But we need to be prepared for the worst. And Natasha... this conversation stays between us. Understood?"

"Understood. Then what about...?"

Natasha nodded, then glanced at the three other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the van, who were all busy with their own tasks.

Maria Hill seemed to know what she was thinking. “The team with you was handpicked by me and Victoria Hand. They’ll be responsible for external security until this is over.”

Natasha understood.

“Yes, Commander.”

“Hill out.”

...

In her office at the Triskelion, Maria Hill ended the call and tossed her phone aside. She leaned back in her chair, subconsciously massaging her temples.

Her initial plan had been to recall Natasha.

But, Just as she was about to give the order, an instinct, a sudden jolt of intuition, had made her change her mind and order Natasha to stay and protect Gwen.

Because she had a feeling that the military, unable to defeat Hawk head-on, might try to use Gwen as bait.

It wasn’t just a feeling. It was an assessment based on her years of service in military intelligence!!

To win a war, the military would stop at nothing.

The only reason Ross hadn’t used the Hulk’s girlfriend, Betty, as bait was because she was his own daughter. If it had been anyone else, Ross would have had her kidnapped and set a trap for the Hulk to walk right into.

And now, Hawk had just desecrated his family’s graves.

It was a precaution she had to take.

And after thinking about General Ross, another name came to mind. Maria Hill looked up, her gaze drifting toward Nick Fury’s office—

Her gut was telling her that Nick Fury’s fingerprints were all over the military’s sudden attack on Hawk.

Of the seventy-seven dead federal soldiers found at the scene, one of them had been identified by S.H.I.E.L.D’s New York office as a fake.

It was one of theirs...

And very few people within S.H.I.E.L.D. even knew Hawk existed. Of those who did, she had given a direct order forbidding any contact or investigation without her command.

But now, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had turned up dead.

Maria Hill had a strong suspicion that the agent who had died in New York had been sent there by Nick Fury.

The timing was too perfect. Yesterday afternoon, the World Security Council had abruptly reinstated Fury's operational authority.

His authority was restored in the afternoon.

The military attacked that night.

Was it really possible there was no connection between the two events??

...

As Maria Hill was lost in thought, the phone on her desk rang.

“Hello.”

“Commander, we have a possible sighting of Hawk.”

“...” Maria Hill was on her feet in an instant, heading for the door.

By coincidence, the door to the office opposite hers opened at the same time.

Nick Fury, his operational authority fully restored, stepped out.

Maria Hill didn’t wait. She strode directly to the commander’s private elevator and descended to the command center.

A few moments later, she and Nick Fury entered the room, one after the other.

“Haw—”

“Where is the damn criminal now?”

Before Maria Hill could even speak, Nick Fury strode past her, his voice booming with its old authority. He glanced at her as he passed and smirked. “Sorry, Commander. We’re not in a state of war.”

Maria Hill gave a stiff, professional smile and said nothing.

She was the Deputy Director and the acting commander in a time of crisis. Only then did her authority supersede his. But now, with his powers restored, Fury was in charge.

“Director.”

“We had a possible sighting of Hawk in Maryland—”

“Put it on the screen.”

An agent complied. An image from what looked like an ATM camera filled the screen. It was blurry, a figure moving so fast he was practically a ghost.

Fury stared at it, then let out his signature catchphrase.

“Motherfucker... You have any other pictures?”

“No, sir.”

“Analyze his desti—”

“Sir!”

An agent at the main console, having just received a new piece of intel, turned to face them, his voice urgent.

“There was an explosion at the Quantico military base. Five seconds ago.”

“...”

<><><><><><><><>

The moment Hawk left the cemetery, he unleashed his Cosmo and became a blur of pure, unadulterated vengeance.

His destination was clear.

New Mexico. General Ross’s ancestral home, the Ross estate, and the Ross family cemetery behind it.

Every wrong must be avenged.

Since Thaddeus Ross had the balls to spit on his sister's memory, Hawk would grant him his wish and send his entire family’s graves up in smoke.

Success depends on preparation, without it, failure is certain.

Hawk was the type to think things through, and he had already gathered all the publicly available information on Thaddeus Ross online.

Family estates, cemeteries... that was all public record.

And so—

With his Cosmo burning at full power, Hawk had crossed the country on foot to New Mexico, leveled the Ross family cemetery, and then immediately turned around, racing back toward Quantico.

It had taken him less than three hours to get from the East Coast to New Mexico in the west. It took him another three hours to get from the west back to Quantico.

But simply destroying the Ross family cemetery had not been enough to quell his rage.

In fact, it had only fanned the flames.

On one hand, Thaddeus Ross had sent his men to desecrate his sister’s grave. For that, Hawk had already sentenced him to death.

Ross was a dead man. Not even God could save him now.

On the other hand, Hawk wanted to solve this problem once and for all—to make an example of them and cut off any future trouble at the root.

He might be a good person, but he refused to let others mistake his kindness for weakness. He would not stand for them thinking they could give him an inch and take a mile.

Hawk didn’t have the time to play their pointless games.

He was busy.

Vibranium.

Finding a gate to Hell.

And the Reality Stone!

Just a moment ago, while spending Christmas with Anya, Hawk had been seriously contemplating whether he even needed to go back to school after the break.

He already had the acceptance letter from NYU Law, and he had more than enough credits to graduate from Midtown.

Theoretically, he could just show up for the graduation ceremony and be done with it. He was thinking of heading straight to Africa in the new year.

Therefore—

Hit them so hard the first time, they’ll never come back for a second. He would beat them so badly, they'd never even think about crossing him again.

And most importantly, On Christmas Day, Anna had sent him a gift: the location of the Abomination.

He was still being held in the Quantico military base—in an underground cell, to be precise.

Hawk had been debating whether he should deal with the Abomination first or go after the Vibranium after the new year.

Well, now he knew.

Quantico had made the decision for him. They had even given him the perfect excuse.

And so!

From New York to New Mexico, and from New Mexico back to Quantico, Hawk had run. As he arrived in Maryland, he slowed his pace, taking a moment to center himself before once again pushing his Cosmo to its absolute limit.

...

Fueled by six hours of simmering fury, Hawk had leaped from a hill overlooking the Quantico military base. He soared through the air, and with a roar that echoed across the entire installation, he unleashed the single most powerful punch of his life—

"THADDEUS ROSS!"

"COME OUT AND DIE!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hawk’s right fist shot forward.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze. Space itself warped around him. A ghostly afterimage of his fist shot forward, and as it descended toward the five-story building below, reality buckled and cracked like fragile glass.

When the phantom strike connected, the entire building exploded into fragments.

CRASH!

CRASH!

CRASH!

Only after the building had completely imploded did the sound catch up. A series of massive explosions rocked the entire Quantico military base.

For the first time in months, the enemy attack sirens shrieked to life across the installation that sat adjacent to the FBI Academy and the CIA’s Langley headquarters.

Buildings shattered.

The ground trembled.

The five-story building collapsed in on itself, and the very earth around it seemed to have been struck by an invisible hammer from the sky, sinking inward.

From above, one could see a massive, fist-shaped crater with the collapsing building at its center.

VMMMM!

Quantico’s fighter jets scrambled, and one immediately banked toward Hawk, who was now arcing through the air, descending into the base.

“Target acquired! Request permission to engage!”

"WEAPONS FREE!"

"Roger that!"

The pilot rolled the jet onto its side, released a missile, and watched as it streaked toward the falling figure.

Hawk, still in freefall, simply reached out his right hand.

CLANG!

"WHAT?"

The pilot’s eyes went wide with disbelief as he watched Hawk catch the missile in his bare hand.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Hawk gave the pilot a slow, predatory smile. The moment his feet touched the ground, he squeezed.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The missile detonated, and a brilliant fireball engulfed Hawk.

A look of triumph flashed across the pilot’s face.

“Target destroyed?”

WHOOSH!

A streak of light shot out of the flames on the ground. In the blink of an eye, it had reached the jet. With a sickening thud, the pilot, the triumphant look still on his face, stared in horror at what he was seeing.

Hawk, his clothes burned away but his body completely unscathed, gave the pilot a final, vicious smirk.

The pilot instinctively reached for the emergency eject.

But Hawk's fist was faster...

CRACK!

The pilot’s head exploded along with the cockpit’s reinforced glass. The now-uncontrolled fighter jet spun like a falling leaf, spiraling down toward the base’s fuel depot.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A secondary explosion, even larger than the first, ripped through the base. A pillar of fire shot into the sky, and the ground shook once more. A river of fire erupted from the fuel depot, instantly engulfing a dozen federal soldiers who were screaming like their mothers had just died as they ran for safety.

...

At the same time, Hawk, who had leaped from the jet the moment it lost control, landed gracefully on the ground.

RUMBLE!

The ground rumbled as a desert-yellow tank rolled into view, its turret swiveling to lock onto him. The massive cannon fired, and the shell screamed through the air, impacting directly in front of him.

A cloud of fire and smoke obscured him from view.

Just as the soldiers inside the tank were reloading, Hawk, now bare-chested, strode out of the smoke. In the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of the tank.

With his left hand, he crushed the tank’s cannon.

With his right, he drove his fist into the tank’s armor.

The tank didn’t fly backward.

Hawk’s fist plunged into the thick metal as if it were tofu. His entire arm disappeared inside. He opened his hand and grabbed the stunned driver.

The next second, he yanked the driver back out through the hole. A sickening, wet tearing sound—like meat being forced through a grinder—filled the air. What emerged was a mangled, unrecognizable mess where a head used to be.

It turned out that while the tank’s armor was like tofu to him...

It wasn’t for anyone else.

...

The other soldiers inside the tank stared, their eyes wide with terror, at the inhuman scene unfolding before them, their minds replaying the image of a man being squeezed through a fist-sized hole.

Just then—

HIIISSSS!

An air-to-ground missile screamed down from the sky and slammed into the tank. The armored vehicle exploded, launching into the air in a massive fireball.

Hawk looked up.

Another jet. This one was smarter. It had fired and was already peeling away, its afterburners blazing.

More tanks rolled out from the base's depot, all painted the same dull yellow as they spread into formation.

But every single cannon was trained on one target.

The roar of jet engines filled the air as three more fighters swooped in and immediately opened fire. Three more air-to-ground missiles came screaming down.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

...

Hawk moved. A blur of motion, weaving through the explosions, the fire, the shrapnel.

WHOOSH!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Explosions. Flames. Deep craters.

And—

CRASH!

A tank was lifted from the ground and thrown into a nearby barracks, which erupted in a massive explosion.

Then, A second tank, a third, a fourth...

Hawk moved between them like a phantom.

You think he was just going to stand there and take it??

That was just a warm-up—a demonstration of how tough he really was. Proof that their weapons couldn't even scratch him. Now that he'd made his point, it was time to show them what real power looked like.

No...

This wasn't just about power. This was a statement. A demonstration of absolute dominance. Hawk was going to use this war to teach them one simple, brutal lesson—he wasn't the Hulk.

...