Chapter 51: Chapter 50: Siege Ends
Reed Richards stood calmly, his arms folded, as the Nightcrawler Clone zipped around him in bursts of smoke and sulfur.
BAMF! Behind him.
BAMF! Above him.
BAMF! To the side.
Each teleportation came with a rapid strike, a punch, a kick, a tail swipe.
And yet… Reed dodged effortlessly.
The clone blinked. "What the hell?"
Reed sighed, shaking his head. "You're predictable."
Nightcrawler Clone smirked. "You can't stop what you can't see!"
Reed sighed again. "You're teleporting in a Fibonacci sequence."
The clone stopped mid-attack. "What?"
That half-second of hesitation was all Reed needed. His arm stretched out and coiled like a spring. "This is something I picked up from one of Johnny's so called 'anime'."
WHAM!
A perfectly-timed fist collided with the clone's face exactly where he was about to teleport next.
Nightcrawler Clone didn't even get a chance to react. He flew across the room, crashing into the far wall and slumping to the ground.
Reed flexed his fingers, unimpressed. "Simple probability."
***
Sue Storm stood with one hand on her hip, watching the Madelyne Pryor Clone pace like a caged animal.
"You think your little force fields can stop me?" Madelyne sneered, her eyes glowing with dark energy.
Sue arched an eyebrow. "No. But they can contain you."
Before Madelyne could react, a translucent force field snapped into existence around her.
The clone's grin faltered.
She pressed her hands against the barrier. "You think this.."
Sue narrowed the field. The barrier shrank instantly, squeezing Madelyne in place.
"..is a joke?!" the clone screeched, lashing out with a psychic blast.
The energy rebounded inside the bubble like a rogue pinball.
Madelyne flinched. "Oh, crap!"
The feedback hit her like a truck, and she dropped unconscious.
Sue tapped the force field with a smirk. "Oops. Guess you didn't think that through."
***
Johnny Storm hovered in the air, flames dancing around his body as he stared down his opponent.
"So," Johnny said, cracking his knuckles. "Fire vs. Ice. Classic."
The Iceman Clone grinned. "Yeah. But we both know how this ends."
Johnny smirked. "Yeah, with you melted into a puddle."
The clone lifted his hands, summoning a massive blizzard that surged toward Johnny like an avalanche.
Johnny groaned. "Seriously, Elsa? Let it go already."
Instead of going supernova, Johnny zipped around, dodging the icy blasts with ease. He weaved through the air, getting closer with every pass.
The Iceman Clone scowled. "Stop running and fight!"
Johnny laughed. "I am fighting, Frosty! You're just too slow!"
Iceman snarled and launched a barrage of razor-sharp ice spears. Johnny rolled mid-air, flames bursting from his hands as he melted each one before they got close.
"Yawn," Johnny said. "You got anything better?"
The clone slammed his hands onto the ground, sending ice spikes shooting up in all directions. Johnny barely dodged, rolling mid-air before blasting a concentrated beam of fire straight at the ice beneath the clone's feet.
The ground instantly melted into slush.
The Iceman Clone stumbled, losing balance.
"Uh-oh," Johnny grinned. "Slippery when wet?"
Before the clone could recover, Johnny rocketed forward and delivered a fiery uppercut straight to his jaw.
WHAM!
The clone shot up into the air and Johnny was already waiting.
"Game over, Elsa."
With one final flaming roundhouse kick, Johnny sent the clone crashing into a frozen wall with enough force to shatter it.
The Iceman Clone slumped over, groaning weakly.
Johnny landed smoothly, dusting imaginary snow off his shoulder. "Man, I barely even broke a sweat."
Just then, Natasha Romanoff strolled in, twirling a metal collar in her hand. "Move."
She snapped the power-dampening collar around the clone's neck. The ice instantly faded, leaving only a shivering, defeated mess.
Johnny crossed his arms. "You couldn't do that sooner?"
Natasha shrugged. "I was busy with a teleporting mutant. Couldn't use this on them."
Johnny sighed. "Yeah, okay. Fair excuse. But next time, faster?"
***
Meanwhile, The Thing and Colossus clone iwas locked in the most testosterone-fueled, braincell deficient slugfest of the century.
Colossus Clone grinned, cracking his metal knuckles. "Not bad. You might actually make me try."
The Thing rolled his massive shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, I hear that a lot."
They rushed each other again.
BOOM!
The impact cracked the floor beneath them.
BOOM!
A single punch sent both of them flying back, only for them to get up immediately.
Colossus Clone chuckled. "You hit hard, but not hard enough."
The Thing smirked. "Then I guess I'll just have to hit you harder."
They lunged again, fists colliding like tectonic plates. But The Thing had one last trick up his rocky sleeve.
"Hey, buddy," he smirked. "Ever hear of a Rock Bottom?"
Colossus Clone frowned. "What is..?"
Before Colossus Clone could react, The Thing grabbed him, flipped him upside down, and locked his arms around his waist.
"Hope ya got good insurance, pal."
With a roar, The Thing leapt into the air, then drove Colossus Clone's head straight into the floor in a brutal Tombstone Piledriver.
CRASH!
The impact was so powerful it shattered five floors of the skyscraper, sending them both plummeting through concrete, steel, and glass.
By the time the move ended, Colossus Clone was out cold, buried in rubble.
The Thing dusted off his hands. "Ptui! Somebody ring the damn bell."
***
But the fight wasn't looking good for the SHIELD agents. Half of the SHIELD agents were out cold, scattered across the floor like they'd just been hit by a truck. Really big, really angry super-soldier-shaped trucks.
The remaining agents were struggling, outnumbered and outmatched.
A hulking super-soldier grabbed a SHIELD agent by the vest and flung him across the room like a ragdoll. Another agent barely dodged a punch that dented a metal wall behind him.
A third super-soldier grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Weak. No challenge."
THWIP!
An arrow zipped through the air, slamming right into his forehead or at least, the metal plate covering it.
The super-soldier blinked. "What was..?"
BOOM!
The arrow exploded, sending him crashing into his buddies like a bowling pin strike.
"Sorry, was that your face?"
Hawkeye stepped into the fray, flipping another arrow in his fingers. He scanned the battlefield and then let loose.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
Electric arrows shocked a group of super-soldiers, sending them into violent spasms.
Smoke arrows blinded the next wave.
One soldier lunged at him. Hawkeye spun around, shot an arrow point-blank into his knee.
The guy collapsed. "MY KNEE!"
"Yeah, yeah," Hawkeye muttered. "You are not the first. Get in line."
With a running leap, he kicked another soldier in the face, landing in a crouch.
The SHIELD agents groggily got back up, watching in awe.
One of them muttered, "Where the hell were you?"
Hawkeye pulled back his bowstring. "Fashionably late."
He fired another arrow, this one bouncing off three walls before hitting a super-soldier in the back of the head.
The fight turned immediately. With Hawkeye covering them, SHIELD regrouped and pushed back.
***
Downstairs, Moon Knight and Psylocke were in the middle of a warzone.
Super-soldiers were tearing through police barricades, flipping cars, and hurling officers like toys.
"Hold the line!" a cop shouted.
Then a super-soldier dropkicked him into a police van.
Psylocke sighed. "We're losing."
Moon Knight adjusted his cape. "No, we're just fighting an uphill battle on a mountain that's also on fire."
A super-soldier rushed them, Psylocke spun slicing at his armor with her psychic blade. He stumbled, dazed.
Moon Knight tackled him from the side, slamming his head into a police siren.
The siren blared loudly.
The super-soldier groaned. "Too… loud…"
Moon Knight punched him again, into silence.
Psylocke kicked another soldier through a windshield. "We need backup."
Moon Knight flipped a crescent dart. "Or we just keep hitting them until they stay down."
Psylocke sighed. "Fine. But next time, we call at least Luke Cage."
***
Meanwhile…
A few floors below the penthouse, Luke Cage was still knocked out cold.
One punch.
The unbreakable man was broken.
He lay there, on the floor like a discarded action figure, completely out of commission.
If Psylocke knew the truth, she would've vomited blood on the spot, like some Sect's Grand Elder from a XianXia novel.
***
Somewhere in the middle of the building, Black Cat, Misty Knight, and White Tiger were finishing up their own fight.
Black Cat ducked under a punch and kicked a super-soldier in the ribs, sending him crashing into a pile of crates.
White Tiger flipped over another soldier, wrapped her legs around his head, and flung him to the ground.
Misty Knight cracked her bionic arm. "Alright, last one left."
The final super-soldier growled, wiping blood from his nose. Then, a hit came from behind.
WHACK!
Daredevil appeared, knocking him out with his billy club.
Black Cat smirked. "Took you guys long enough."
Iron Fist and Colleen Wing walked up, both exhausted. Iron Fist wiped sweat from his forehead. "Man, I hope the Spider-Man has finished the mission."
Misty raised an eyebrow. "You know, I never got why you called him the Dragon Warrior."
Colleen laughed. "Oh, that's a huge embarrassing story."
Black Cat grinned. "Do tell."
Colleen smirked. "Why don't we all go for drinks after, and I'll tell you?"
Iron Fist groaned. "Courting death!"
***
Peter wasn't still at his best. His hand-eye coordination was a mess, making his movements sluggish. Every punch he threw felt off. But he was way stronger and way tougher than his opponent.
Red Skull moved fast, landing a solid punch to Peter's ribs. He barely felt.
["Hand-eye coordination: 37%. Adaptation restoration: 2 minutes left."]
Peter coughed. "Could you speed that up a little?"
["Sir, Would you like a motivational song?"]
"That depends.."
Suddenly music started playing in his earpiece: ♫ "It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight~~" ♫
Peter blinked. That actually helps.
Even though he didn't feel any pain, Peter was pushed back by the Red Skull. Red Skull kept on swinging his fists again, brutal, and aimed to take Peter's head clean off.
WHAM! A punch to the ribs.
CRACK! A knee to the gut.
SMASH! An elbow to the jaw.
The villain grinned. "You are not ready."
But then, Peter's muscles adjusted, movements getting sharper. The sluggishness faded.
["Hand-eye coordination: 60%."]
Red Skull swing another punch. Peter caught it effortlessly. The shift was instant.
Red Skull's confidence flickered. His grin faltered. His eyes darted to his trapped fist, then back to Spider-Man's eye lenses.
And Peter? He just tilted his head. "My turn."
WHAM!
Red Skull slammed into the wall, coughing, his entire body aching. He looked up, just in time to see Peter walking toward him, rolling his shoulders like he was just getting warmed up.
For the first time, Red Skull felt fear.
Meanwhile , Deadpool was having the time of his life.
Fisk swung and Deadpool ducked. "Hey, hey, careful! I just had my spine realigned!"
Peter sighed. "Alright, my turn."
He shot a web at Fisk's mecha-arm. With a single yank Fisk staggered.
Peter zipped forward, dodging a wild punch. He grabbed Fisk's wrist and suplexed Mecha-Fisk.
Deadpool froze. "Did you just?"
Peter webbed Fisk to the ground before he could recover.
Deadpool clapped. "Bro. I have never been more attracted to you."
Peter rolled his eyes. He shot a web at the crumbling debris, yanking out Red Skull. With expert precision, he kept pulling and punching, making Red Skull look like a paddleball game.
"Fisk, do it! Cover me!"
"Stay put. No monologues this time."
Peter webbed Red Skull up.
Red Skull growled. "You!"
Peter slapped another web over his mouth. "Shhh. The adults are talking."
Deadpool whistled. "Alright, Spidey, I gotta admit, that was impressive."
Peter dusted off his hands. "Yeah, well, I'm fueled by justice and Eye of the Tiger."
Fisk's demonic contract with Mephisto activated.
His body grew larger, armor shifting around him with glowing red runes carved across it. His strength skyrocketed.
Fisk smirked. "You will never win."
But then, Peter's body fully synced.
["Hand-eye coordination: 100%. System stable."]
Peter evaluated Fisk.
Fisk swung a fist the size of a car, only for Peter to dodge it. His mind processed the fight in slow motion.
Rune on the left shoulder? Structural integrity.
Rune on the back? Reinforces the core.
Chest rune? Primary energy source.
Peter smirked. Target acquired.
Step 1: Bait the attack.
Step 2: Break the shoulder rune to weaken the structure.
Step 3: Flip over and crack the back rune to disrupt his balance.
Step 4: Aim for the chest rune.
Step 5: Profit.
Fisk roared, bringing down the massive fist again.
Peter dodged sideways, sliding under his arm. He reared back and punched the shoulder rune.
CRACK!
Fisk stumbled. His movements slowed.
Deadpool gasped, not caring about the ongoing fight. "We should make that our team name!"
Peter rolled his eyes. "What?"
"Tigers of Justice?"
"No."
Fisk swung wildly, Peter flipped over him, landing on his back.
POW!
A punch shattered the second rune. Fisk roared, as his balance wavered. Peter zipped forward, fist cocked back.
"Say goodnight, Kingpin."
BOOM!
His fist slammed straight into Fisk's chest rune. The armor cracked, the magic shattered, and Fisk collapsed in a heap.
Peter dusted off his hands. "And that's checkmate."
Deadpool pouted. "Aw, c'mon, let's at least think about the name."
Peter picked up the severed Wolverine arms, inspecting the claws. "Mind if I keep these?"
Deadpool nodded. "Oh, 100%. Just don't poke yourself. Healing factor not included."
Peter hesitated, then smirked. "One more thing."
Deadpool crossed his arms. "Oh boy, here we go."
"Omega Red's down there, buried under all that rubble. I need you to take these hands, grab some Carbonadium from him and leave quietly. No one can know."
Deadpool blinked. "Uh, and how exactly do you expect me to.."
Peter simply shoved Deadpool down the hole.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
THUMP!
Deadpool's voice echoed from below. "I hate you!"
Peter smirked while throwing the torn Wolverine hands down. "Love you too, buddy."
***
With Fisk down and the clones defeated, SHIELD secured the area.
Peter exhaled. Finally, some peace.
Then Natasha walked up, arms crossed. "You look like hell."
Peter grinned. "You should see the other guy."
========
Don't forget about the power stones. And about the Iceman clone, consider it a weakened clone. Real Iceman at his peak, will require Johnny to go Supernova to defeat him. And that would only lead to the bad ending.
(。•̀ᴗ-)✧