(AN: here's your bonus chappie. This one is for Amiey_Lies. Thanks for the review! Enjoy!)
The screams came first.
They echoed through the streets, overlapping and multiplying, until they were no longer human sounds at all.
Howls followed—ragged, feral—bouncing off shattered windows and empty alleys.
Then came the roars.
Deep.
Heavy.
Monstrous.
They rolled closer like thunder with intent.
Even agents trained to face the impossible felt their skin crawl. Hair stood on end.
Fingers tightened around triggers. None of them had trained for this—not for corpses that ran, climbed, screamed, and hunted.
Not for monsters that weren't supposed to exist.
"Eyes up front!"
Steve's voice cut through the rising panic like a blade.
He stepped fully in front of the box formation, boots grinding against broken pavement.
His fire axe hung at his side; both hands now wrapped around the familiar weight of an AK-47.
The horde emerged into full view.
Hundreds of infected surged down the street in a writhing mass.
Above them, four silhouettes leapt from rooftop to rooftop, clearing impossible distances.
Within the horde itself, four deformed figures charged forward like a hunchedback—while four tall, unnatural shapes loomed behind them, swaying as they ran.
Special infected. Jockey a d Spitter!
There were too many of infected than earlier.
"Take aim!" Steve ordered.
Even Bruce had a hunting rifle in hand, knuckles white as he fought to keep his breathing steady.
Tony raised his assault rifle, HUD already tracking targets.
Bang!
Natasha fired first.
A bloated infected detonated mid-run, its body erupting in a violent explosion that sent nearby zombies tumbling.
"Boomer," she said calmly, already moving to her next target.
The explosion sparked something in Tony's mind.
"Oh. Right," he muttered. "I've got four bombs."
He glanced at the advancing horde.
"I'll see what they can do."
Tony pulled a pipe bomb from his inventory, thumbed the activation, and hurled it forward with amplified strength.
The device arced cleanly over the street and landed among the infected.
They slowed. Turned. And gathered around it.
"Why are they clustering?" Coulson asked sharply.
Tony shrugged.
"Uh… maybe the beeping?"
BOOM!
The blast tore through the crowd, bodies flung in every direction.
Steve didn't look away from the battlefield.
"You got more of those?"
"Three."
"Use two towards the Center. Save the last one for later."
"You got it."
Two more bombs flew. Two more explosions ripped holes in the horde.
Bruce exhaled slowly.
"I've got bile bombs. It won't kill them—but if I'm guessing right, they'll attract everything nearby."
"Save them," Steve said.
"Use them when we're about to get overrun."
Bruce shook his head. "No. Coulson—take them."
He shoved the canisters into Coulson's hands.
Coulson accepted without question.
The ground began to shake.
"They're here," Bruce said—and broke formation.
He climbed onto an overturned car, scanning past the horde.
And he saw them.
Four Tanks.
They weren't just following the horde.
They were plowing through it.
Infected bodies were hurled aside like debris as the Tanks charged forward, unstoppable.
Bruce didn't hesitate.
"Alright, buddy," he said softly. "They're all yours."
His body twisted—
ROAR!
The Hulk exploded into existence, a thunderous bellow ripping through the street.
Some agents flinched.
Those who'd been there before didn't.
They felt relief.
They had a Hulk.
Hulk charged.
He intercepted one Tank in a catastrophic collision that sent a shockwave rippling outward.
But only one.
The remaining three kept coming.
"Damn it," Tony muttered. "We only have one Hulk!"
"Focus fire on the Tanks!" Steve commanded.
"Coulson—when the horde gets too close and those Tanks are still standing, throw the bile bombs! Fire!"
Bullets poured into the charging behemoths.
The distance closed terrifyingly fast.
"I've got left!" Steve shouted.
"I'll take right!" Tony answered.
Natasha didn't bother saying anything and started firing on the remaining Tank.
Tony and Steve split.
Then—
Steve was suddenly yanked!
A tongue wrapped around his torso and dragged him off balance.
"Captain!" Coulson shouted.
He fired the instant he saw the smoker.
The smoker's head snapped back, body collapsing as Steve tore free and rolled back into position and continued on his way to the Tank.
Then—
A woman's cry echoed.
Close.
Too close.
Tony froze for half a second.
Tank in front of him. Witch nearby. Which one should he face first?
"Sir," JARVIS cut in calmly, "the Witch will remain passive if unprovoked. Recommend focusing on the Tank."
Tony exhaled. He already knew that but he wasn't able to think straight for a moment.
"Right. Thanks, JARVIS."
He opened the comm.
"Everyone—do not provoke the crying ones! Ignore it. Focus on what's in front of you!"
The formation held on as the first Tank came!
Coulson hurled the bile bombs one after another. The horde was getting dangerously near where they couldn't fight back.
And the Tanks were still there so he had no choice.
The effect was immediate.
The horde turned.
Screaming, swarming toward the bile instead of the formation.
Natasha was rapidly firing on the Tanks that was tearing they're box formation!
So did the others who weren't immediately turned to meat paste by the Tank's charge and rampage.
Roar!!!!
Hulk, who already knew how to take down a Tank, came rushing and dragged the last Tank away from them.
This gave them a bit of time to regroup and check how many was killed.
12 was gone!
Of the 48 agents, 36 remains!
Coulson could only swallow his feelings and commanded the remaining agents into formation.
Why?
The horde is upon them!
"Fire!" Coulson shouted as they opened fire at the first wave of infecteds within the range of their weapons.
Bullets rained and infecteds were taken down but, their numbers were too many.
Even with their modern weapons which was way more advanced than what Tony and the rest were holding.
It was still futile, they will be overwhelmed!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Natasha fired again and again, her target was clear, special infecteds.
Four spitters was dropped.
Bang! Bang!
Two hunters mid-leap, too obvious on top of the buildings.
Bang! Boom!
Bang! Boom!
Two boomers burst before they could spit.
Her eyes never stopped moving in search for special infecteds.
A few minutes earlier. . .
Steve dropped his rifle, gripped his axe, and leapt.
The axe slammed into the Tank's skull but failed to penetrate deep enough even with his strength.
The Tank's skin was too thick ,Steve twisted away before a massive fist could crush him.
Meanwhile Tony switched to repulsors, firing point-blank. It was effective but not enough.
Tony leapt with the help of his repulsors to dodge the Tank. Then he started firing again and again and when it was nearing him, he'd leap far away and repeat.
It took time but, the Tank collapsed.
Tony turned just in time to help Steve finish the last one.
Steve himself has already been hit a few times, luckily he wasn't grabbed as he immediately dodges when the Tank was trying to.
With Tony now helping him, they'll be able to take it down.
In the distance, back to the present.
ROAR!
Hulk faced four Chargers head on.
Another Tank already lay headless at his feet.
The chargers rushed at him all at once.
Hulk didn't back down and rushed towards them. Their collision shook the earth below their feet.
All 5 of them met a d stopped. The force was clearly equal.
However, soon after fists smashed into Hulk's face in all direction.
Four chargers were using their only one enlarged hand to pin Hulk down.
Hulk received them all.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Hulk staggered—then grinned as it he found an opening for a counter.
He kicked one aside.
Blocked another hand with his own then headbutted a third.
He grabbed the first one he blocked and used it as a shield on the last one.
With that, it was his turn.
Hulk knew their weakness after 2 Tanks were left headless by him.
And so, he grabbed the head of the nearest and with all his might, pulled it.
The chargers doesn't feel anything as they charged again. And Hulk met them head on.
With only 3 chargers left.
It didn't take long for Hulk to defeat them.
The horde was already closing in! Although they managed to take down a lot, the number still overwhelmed them.
Tony threw the last pipe bomb to gain more time, the horde changed direction once more.
Agents tossed all of their grenades to take advantage of the situation.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions rang out in consecutive blasts and helped the team made another distance between the them and the remaining horde.
Steve and Tony carved through the thinning mass.
The final Tank fell—headless—crashing into the street.
Then, their comms buzzed.
"Widow," Fury's voice crackled. "We're here."
Natasha looked up.
The Helicarrier loomed overhead, blotting out the sky.
Relief surged—
Then stopped abruptly.
Her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh no."
Natasha didn't hesitate.
She slammed her comm open and shouted upward at the shadow blotting out the sky.
"Boss, don't deploy! Don't deploy reinforcements!"
Her voice cut through gunfire, roars, and screams.
Everyone heard it.
Steve's head snapped toward her.
Tony froze mid-stride, chainsaw whining.
Even Hulk paused, turning slightly.
The agents didn't stop firing—but confusion rippled through the line.
Coulson was the first to speak.
"Widow, what are you doing? We're gonna die if we don't receive help!" he demanded. Then made a quick guess.
"Is this still part of something you're not telling me?"
"Yes!" Natasha barked back.
"Please—just trust me! We don't need reinforcements!"
"Are you sure about that?!" Coulson shot back.
"The horde's thinning, sure—but at this distance? We'll lose even more agents and eventually be overwhelmed!"
"I know what I'm doing." Natasha said, voice sharp but controlled.
She searched for Steve and Tony.
Both were staring at her.
Confused.
Natasha could only roll her eyes. Seriously?
"Tony. Steve," she snapped. "Remember the update."
It clicked immediately. Steve stiffened.
Tony cursed under his breath.
The last time a number was added to their ranks, so did the enemies.
Tony said quickly.
"She's right." He looked at the enemy in front of him.
Yeah, they're not winning this.
"But we still need help." Tony added.
Steve nodded at this and looked at Natasha's almost pleading face, clearly still believing they can find a way without inviting more enemies to fight.
"Whatever happens, we'll face it a together!"
There was a pause on the comm.
Then Fury's voice came back.
"You're obviously going to get overrun! I'm not losing all of you over some caution I don't even know!" Fury shouted through the comms.
Then ordered 5 quinjets to provide support and 50 more agents as reinforcements to be deployed.
Meanwhile on the ground!
The cry came again.
Louder.
Closer.
Tony's head whipped left, then right. His chainsaw revved instinctively.
Steve scanned the street, axe ready.
Natasha swept the area through her scope. Already accepting their fate or whatever this test is going to throw at them.
"Don't provoke the crying one!" Tony shouted over comms. "Ignore it! Focus on the horde!"
The agents followed and focused on the horde that's about to take them in just a minute or two.
Then something small and fast slammed into the formation.
Four shapes burst from the infected mass—
"Jockeys!" Steve yelled.
Four HYDRA agents screamed as the creatures leapt onto their backs, claws digging in, teeth tearing into skulls.
The formation wavered—but didn't break.
Natasha fired.
Four sharp cracks.
Four jockeys dropped.
She swung her scope again—and saw it.
A boomer, she didn't hesitate at all.
BANG!
BOOM!
The explosion tore the bloated infected apart.
But the blast triggered something else.
The crying turned into screaming. Four figures rose from the chaos.
Witches.
They came fast.
Too fast.
Natasha fired.
Nothing.
The bullets barely slowed them.
Her eyes widened.
"They're not dropping!" she shouted.
Tony's voice cut in, strained.
"Don't underestimate them! Even in the armor, I got pinned! You have to cut them—bullets won't stop them!"
He didn't get to say more.
One witch slammed into him.
Hard.
Tony hit the ground, the breath knocked out of him as claws raked across his armor. Metal screamed under the assault.
"Shit—!"
The chainsaw roared to life.
Tony drove it upward, chewing through shrieking limbs.
The witch thrashed, screaming, until it collapsed in pieces.
Steve intercepted another.
Without his shield, it was pure skill.
He ducked. Rolled. Slashed.
The witch's claws missed his throat by inches.
Steve chopped methodically—legs first, then arms—before finally burying the axe into its neck.
Hulk reached the third.
It slammed into him—and for the first time, Hulk staggered.
The thing pushed him.
Hulk snarled. He punched it.
It was like hitting a Tank.
So Hulk changed tactics.
He grabbed its head and pulled.
The scream ended abruptly.
But the fourth witch—
No one reached it in time.
It plowed straight into the formation.
Chaos erupted.
Agents went down in seconds.
Claws. Screams. Blood.
Coulson felt his gut twist.
They were losing people too fast.
Too many. As if that wasn't enough, the horde was already in front of them.
"Duck!" Their comms buzzed again and a voice shouted.
Everyone heard it and ducked except for those already in the clutch of the witch.
Bullets rained towards the infected!
What took them a lot of bullets to take down was dropped easily by the quinjets hovering behind them.
It's artillery clearly on another level took down the zombies, 1 bullet fired 3-4 zombies were down.
It didn't take long before the horde was cleaned!
Coulson breathed in relief.
His hand rose toward his comm—
I have to call Fury.
Then a chainsaw screamed past him.
Tony plunged his chainsaw into the remaining witch from it's, burying the blade into its spine.
Steve followed immediately.
One clean swing. The head flew. The body collapsed.
Coulson's hand fell. Maybe later.
Then—
WHIP.
A tongue wrapped around his torso.
Coulson was yanked off his feet.
"Coulson!" Steve shouted.
He charged—but—
A hunter slammed into him, pinning him down, claws raking at his chest.
Steve blocked with the axe, muscles screaming.
Tony turned but was also pinned by anothwr hunter!
Clearly, this remaining infected were hiding and bidding their time to strike at the right moment!
BANG!
The smoker's head snapped back.
Natasha shot it.
Tony lunged the chainsaw into the hunter's skull, splitting it cleanly in two.
Then he cut the the last one who was pinning down Steve.
With that done, he reached out.
"Come on."
Steve grabbed his hand.
They stood.
The street went quiet.
The last of the horde lay dead.
Smoke drifted.
Bodies littered the road.
Only ragged breathing remained.
Natasha lowered her rifle.
Tony shut off the chainsaw.
Steve surveyed the survivors.
The count was brutal.
Remaining agents:
5 HYDRA.
0 SHIELD.
The test was over, but the battle? They were not sure about that yet.
5 quinjets landed as 50 agents under Fury's order came out.
Then a prompt from the system blink to existence in front of the 4 candidates.
End of chapter